Pretty Cure Season's Delight!
by Jikochuu
Summary: After encountering a talking bear named Mocha who hailed from the magical kingdom of Sugarland, Miyabi Ouka gains the power to turn into a Legendary Warrior, Pretty Cure, to not only fight the evil forces of Bittersweet but also to find new members of her team and the lost princess of Sugarland who may be connected to the lone Precure who protected the town a few years ago.
1. 1: Miyabi's Special Day!

Miyabi Ouka was dreaming again.

Nowadays she's been dreaming of the same thing. And it's not just any dream. It was some sort of a flashback that happened to her seven years ago. It was late at night, and she's walking home from school all by herself. She heard rustling in the bushes, but she paid it no mind, thinking that it was just something like a cat. But when she turned a corner, she saw it. The most sinister, evil thing she had set her eyes on.

A gray cat-like creature, around five times her size, was standing before her, with its fangs curled up in a snarl and manic green eyes staring at her. A black crystal heart sparkled on its forehead. "_Kiiiiiii!_" it growled. Miyabi screamed as she ran to the opposite direction, and the creature gave chase. The seven-year-old pink-haired girl dodged trashcans and lampposts along the way, shouting for help until she reached Maizono Park, where she can hide in the jungle gym until the monster goes away. She remembered thinking, _Why didnt anyone hear me?_

"Ah!" Miyabi toppled over as she tripped over something and landed on a rough patch of gravel. She checked her injured knee, unaware that the monster has finally caught up to her. And when she finally looked up, the monster was baring its fangs, ready to take a bite out of her. Miyabi was about to scream again when -

**"Pretty Cure... Cinnamon Shoot!"**

A crimson bolt of light pierced the monster's black heart and the monster doubled over with pain before vanishing with a puff of smoke, leaving behind a pastel-green heart-shaped candy. _Wh-What was that? _Miyabi thought, and just then a girl who looked a couple of years older than her landed on the pavement, her flowing red-orange hair rippling against the cold October wind. She was wearing a weird red costume with black highlights, but to Miyabi, she looked really cool. A bow made out of some dark-red ethereal material vanished into thin air as the girl approached her.

"Are you all right?" the redhead asked, helping Miyabi up to her feet. "Did it hurt you in any way?"

Miyabi was speechless. She could only stare up at the girl, who has deep red eyes that reminded her of wisps of flame. _She looked so amazing!_ she thought. "I-I-I... I'm okay.." She dusted her school uniform, trying to calm herself down.

The redheaded heroine smiled gently. "Okay then. Be careful next time, okay?" The girl then turned around, ready to leave, but Miyabi called out, "H-Hey! Who are you? What's your name!"

Without turning her head, the girl answered, "You can call me... Cure Cinnamon."

And before anything else, Miyabi woke up to the sound of her phone's atrocious ringtone.

"Cure... Cinnamon.." The name of her mysterious protector was finally dredged up from her childhood memories after so many nights. And now that she finally found out, she muttered the name many times to make it stick to her heart. She won't forget Cure Cinnamon any time sure, or so she had hoped. Ever since that incident, there were instances of monster attacks in the neighborhood, only to be calmed down by a mysterious maiden in red.

_But.. where did she go? _she thought. Sighing, she sat up from her bed and her hand fumbled through the blankets and pillows until she felt her phone. She pulled it out, flipped it open, and answered the call.

"Hello-"

_"Ouka Miyabiiiiii!" _a girl's voice shrilled from the phone, completely waking the pink-haired girl up. _"Do you have ANY IDEA how long I've waited before I can call you at the right time? I can't belie-"_

"It's still five AM, you idiot!" Miyabi retorted back. "Why'd you call me this early anyway? Isn't it like, evening there in the US?"

"That's not important now," the caller said. "I just want to tell you..."

"Just spit it out, Kei!" Miyabi said impatiently. _Until now, Kei still likes being dramatic... _she thought.

"...Happy birthday, you giant loser!"

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1 <strong>- Sweet Start! Precure  
><strong>Episode 1 <strong>- Miyabi's Special Day! The Birth of a Precure!

* * *

><p>"Well look who it is! The birthday girl!" Satoru Ouka watched his oldest daughter - now fourteen years old - come down the stairs. "So what would it be, Miyabi? Toast? Pancakes? Blueberry muffins?"<p>

"Do you even have to ask, Dad?" Miyabi's younger sister Rumi said, sniggering. "She'd want to have all them in one table! That's how piggy she is!"

"Honestly Rumi, I'd thought you'd stop teasing me now!" Miyabi sighed as she sat down on the couch next to her sister and suddenly trapped her in a light headlock. "Need I remind you who's the eldest here? Hm?"

"H-Hey! Get your sticky hands offa meeee!" Rumi struggled against her sister. "Daaaaaad! Tell her to cut it out!"

"Miyabi, stop strangling your sister," Satoru said, drinking his coffee and setting his mug on the coffee table. "You two should go get some breakfast now. Your mom and I will be opening the shop in a few moments."

Miyabi let go of her sister and went to the kitchen, where an ULTRA SPECIAL BREAKFAST has been laid out for her. Toast with butter and raspberry jam, pancakes with chocolate syrup, and blueberry muffins were placed on the table, waiting to be devoured. Rumi poured two glasses of orange juice while Miyabi tucked herself in and grabbed a muffin from the bowl.

"Mmmmmm~ Dad's special blueberry muffins are the absolute best!" Miyabi exclaimed, chewing happily. She took a bite of toast and a slice of pancake and downed it all with orange juice. Rumi could only stare at her sister's huge appetite. _What a pig_, she thought. _Where does she hide it all?_ "Don't forget to swallow, Miyabi-neechan!" she snickered.

Miyabi frowned at her cheeky little sister and gulped. "Hey! You gotta appreciate the food in front of you, you know? And the only way to do it is to eat every last piece!" She drizzled more chocolate syrup on her pancakes and toast while Rumi made a disgusted face.

"You're so gross, Miyabi-neechan!" Rumi frowned, getting up from the table with a muffin on her hand. "I'm going back in my room." Miyabi didn't even acknowledge her sister leaving, and kept on chowing down.

* * *

><p>"It's been fifteen years."<p>

A woman in her early twenties sat on a chintz armchair, facing a long ebony table. Her silvery-white hair was mostly swept to the right side of her hair, and her gloved hands were crossed over her chest. She was wearing a long silver dress with a long V-neck that left little to the imagination. "We have waited far too long. We heard nothing from this Cure Cinnamon ever since. What happened?"

She and three other people are on the top of a crumbling tower in a pocket dimension, with the sky eternally swirling with purple and black hues. Such is the despairing beauty of the Anzentou.

"She vanished without a trace, Vanilla-sama," a young man with slicked silver hair said with a smirk, his intelligent blue eyes twinkling behind a pair of glasses . "But do not fret. Ever since her disappearance, it's been easy for us to gather enough Tainted Hearts to power both Sugarland and Earth for a lifetime."

"Yes I know that, Sorell," the woman named Vanilla frowned. "But the Candy Box is in her possession! These Tainted Hearts don't mean anything if we can't even use their full potential! We need to capture her and find the Candy Box as soon as possible!"

At the opposite end of the table, a girl with snow-white hair and bright red eyes grinned. It's as if she's dressed for Halloween everyday, with a floppy witch's hat and a black poofy dress. "Don't worry, Vanilla-sama! I'll find it for you right now!"

"You?" Vanilla glared at the witch. "You think this is a game? If we do not get the Candy Box, then what would -"

"Let her go anyway," said another silver-haired person, this time with a groggy expression on their face. They were wearing fluffy white pajamas. " 'S not like we have anything to do anyway-" The person then slumped over the table, snoozing.

Vanilla sighed. _Such incompetence! _"Fine. You can go. But you better get something useful out of this."

"All right!" the witch-girl cheered. _I'll make Vanilla-sama proud... I have to repay her in some way!_

* * *

><p>"Ehhh? What do you mean, I can't help out in the shop today?!" Miyabi asked. She's in the kitchen of her family's cakeshop, Heart-shaped Hearts, and she's already put on her apron and tied up her hair. "But I want to work! You gotta let me work, mom! I'm underpaid!"<p>

"What are you talking about, Miyabi?" Ayame Ouka said, rolling a square of dough. "You're never paid to work in here. You just LOVE working here so much that you don't care if you get paid or not. But your father and I decided that since today is your birthday, we want to give you a day off. Deal?"

"Deal?! But I don't wanna stop working! I need more training! I want to be the best patissier there is, like you and dad!" Miyabi whined. _It's not fair... why are they giving me a break from work, just because it's my birthday?_

"Why don't you go hang out with Shuu-chan for a bit? It's been a while since you saw him, right?" Ayame said. Shuu-chan is just the nickname of Saito Syuusuke, their next door neighbor and Miyabi's childhood friend. "I am not permitting you to work today, all right?" Ayame went on. "This is for your own good."

"But moooooooom!" But there's no use budging her. Miyabi heaved out a sigh as she hung up her apron and left the kitchen. Heart-shaped Hearts is not yet crowded at this time of day, but some people in Amatoshima like to drop by and eat breakfast here sometimes. Some of the customers recognize her and waved at her, and Miyabi returned the gesture. _Seeing people's smiles... it makes me feel happy seeing them eat like that! I can still work, but not on the kitchen! I'll go manage the cash register -_

"You are not running the cash register either," Rumi said stoically, ringing up an order and counting the change in front of the cash register. "...98, 98, 100. Your change is a hundred yen." She handed the hundred-yen coin to the customer and gave him a paper bag full of chocolate croissants. "Thank you and please come again!" She turned to her sister, who scowled back at her. "Mom said that you can't work today! It's your birthday, you weirdo!"

"I knoooow, but I just wanna make people happy by serving up these delicious food!" Miyabi explained.

"I get you, but do you know what would make people even more happy?" Rumi asked.

"What?"

"For you to stop bugging me and get a life aside from cooking!" Rumi glared at her older sister.

"Fine fine, I get it!" Miyabi said. "I'm going to the park. Just call me if you need a hand, okay?" After getting a noncommittal nod from her sister, Miyabi opened the front door of the shop (the bell tinkled gently as she did so), and showed herself out of there. _What am I going to do..._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogles curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>"Some birthday this is," Miyabi muttered to herself, tossing breadcrumbs at pigeons.<p>

She was seated under one of the hundreds of cherry blossom trees in Maizono Park. She really liked the atmosphere here, as the park is almost covered with trees and life. From the corner of her eye she could see a family of three by the playground, their son enthusiastically climbing up the slide and waving at his parents. She felt a bit wistful while watching them, remembering how she used to hog the slide all for herself when she was little. "I want to work during my birthday! Why didn't they get that?" she groaned.

"Get what ~momo?"

Miyabi turned around, but there was no one in sight. She shrugged and kept on feeding the birds on her lonesome until she ran out of crumbs. "Maaaan, this is so boring! Why can't I do something fun!" She was hoping that someone would come around and stop her from whining, but no one did -

"Oh! I know how you can have fun ~momo!" a little voice said.

Miyabi turned around once more, but there was no one there. "Wh-Who's there?" She stood up to look around.

"I'm right here, ~momo!" The voice came from the bush behind the bench she was sitting on. Miyabi crouched down and looked into the bush to find... a teddy bear. It has golden fur, black beady eyes and a chocolate-brown heart on its chest. It also has the same colored hearts stitched to its paws.

"Oh. It's just a toy," Miyabi said indifferently with a shrug.

"I'm not just a toy, ~momo!" the teddy bear toy suddenly spoke, flailing his paws around. "My name is Mocha, the Knight of Justice ~momo!"

"Aah!" Miyabi gasped, backing away from the bush. "Wh-What? A-A toy can talk?"

"I-I am not a toy!" the toy said indignantly. "I am a knight, you hear me? I come from Sugarland ~momo!"

"S-Sugarland?" _Is that a new amusement part or something? _Miyabi thought.

"My kingdom is in danger! You have to help me protect this Candy Box, ~momo!" A wooden box then materialized from thin air and landed softly on the grass. It has a knob on the side and a glass lid, and Miyabi can see an engraved heart inside. "Please, I beg you, ~momo! You must be one of the legendary warriors!"

_L-Legendary warriors? _"Y-You're out of your mind, uh, bear thing!" Miyabi said. Then she saw some patches of dirt on its fur and quickly felt sorry for the little guy. _Talking toy or not, this little guy needs to be taken care of, _Miyabi thought. _It's as if he's been in that bush for a long time..._ "Hey... Why don't you let me treat you to some food at my place? I can get you cleaned up too!" _This will give me an excuse to visit the shop today! _she thought sneakily. _Though I have to explain to my folks why I'm playing house with a talking teddy bear that I found in the park..._

"I.. wh-what? You'd really do that, ~momo?" the bear said. "Well I have been out for a while and I just woke up from a nap in that bush so... sure, I guess!"

"Great! Then you can tell me more about this Sugarland and Candy Box thingies while we eat!" Miyabi said, cradling the bear plush in her hands. "So what's your favorite food?"

"Hmmmm... I seem to have forgotten, ~momo," the bear named Mocha said. "But don't worry, ~momo! The people at Sugarland have very huge appetites, so we basically like any sweet food!"

"Oooh, Sugarland sounds like my kind of place then!" Miyabi grinned as she ran towards her bike. As she and Mocha pedaled off, the white-haired witch girl smiled to herself as she sat daintily on her flying broomstick. "So the Candy Box is in that bear's possession?" she mused to herself. "Interesting!"

* * *

><p>"Ah! Mocha! Thank you for waiting!" Miyabi said, entering her own bedroom with a plate of takoyaki in her hands. "My parents won't let me in the shop for today, so I got you some takoyaki instead! Hope you don't mind."<p>

Mocha was lying down on the star-shaped carpet, feeling snug in the pink towel that Miyabi gave him. "Takoyaki? What's that, ~momo?" he asked.

"It's basically octopus rolled up into a ball with some dough and drizzled with sauce!" Miyabi said cheerfully, setting the plate down in front of the bear. Mocha blinked at it and grabbed a toothpick in his little hands. "We rarely have seafood in Sugarland, though..." he said before spearing the toothpick on one of the balls and taking a bite out of it. He slowly chewed, determining the flavor and texture of this exotic treat.

"It's..."

"Hm?" Miyabi faced him. "How was it? Is it good?"

"It's... SUPER AMAZING!" Mocha exclaimed, its beady eyes glinting as he shoveled more takoyaki into his little mouth. "It's nothing like the food back in Sugarland, ~momo!"

Miyabi smiled and took a seat in front of him. "So tell me about this Sugarland place. Is it a new amusement park or something?"

"No way, ~momo!" Mocha swallowed. "Sugarland is this amazing place where clouds are made of cotton candy and there are rivers made of cranberry juice and deserts with pepper instead of sand ~momo! It's a really nice place to live in, ~momo!"

"But why did you run away?" Miyabi asked. "Didn't you say that your land is in dange-"

"Miyabi-neechan!" Rumi called out as she knocked on the door, interrupting the conversation between the two. "Mom needs you in the shop now!"

"Ah yes, finally!" Miyabi got up from the floor. "Wanna come with me? I'll show you where I usually hang out!"

"Sure, ~momo!" Mocha nodded. Miyabi picked him up again and walked out of the room and down the stairs. _I hope no one will ask where I got this talking bear plush, _she thought. _Hey! I can just say that I got him as a present from a classmate that I happened to bump into at the park! You're a genius, Ouka Miyabi! _

Rumi led the way to the front entrance of the shop, opening the door for her sister. "Come on, hurry," she said. The shop seemed to be closed today, but why?

"What's the rush, sis?" Miyabi asked. _Unless... _

Rumi pushed Miyabi into the dark shop and followed her inside. Miyabi groped the wall for the lightswitch to flick the lights on, and -

**"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIYABI!"**

It was a surprise! The neighbors are cheering and whooping at the birthday girl, and Syuusuke even made it! "Sorry I just arrived, squirt, but you know how it is!" he said with a playful grin, which made Miyabi blush slightly. Her mom and dad were beaming proudly at her, carrying a two-tiered chocolate cake with fourteen candles on it. "Make a wish, sweetie!" they both said.

Miyabi was so elated. And meanwhile Mocha couldn't help but be awed at this spectacle, with his mouth agape at all the colorful balloons and confetti, and a great selection of food on a long table! Everyone was too hyped to notice the sentient toy anyway.

"Thank you, everyone!" Miyabi said, almost tearing up with sheer joy. _Now I know why my parents didn't let me in the shop for today... They must have worked so hard on this! _"I just want to -"

"Come on, squirt! Blow the candles so that we can chow down already!" Syuusuke yelled, accompanied with some giggles from the crowd. _Shuu-chan has a bigger appetite than me, _Miyabi thought with a pout. She faced the cake and made a wish. _But what wish should I make? Oh man oh man, I'm not ready for this after all! _she panicked in her head. _All right! I wish that -_

"Eh? What's this?" An unfamiliar voice rang through the crowd. Everyone turned around to find the strangely-dressed girl with white hair, who looked the same age as Miyabi. "There's a party and I'm not invited? What a shame~"

The crowd started to react, asking whether they know this girl. "Who are you?" Rumi asked.

"Me? Oh, my name is Anise! Don't you forget that, okay? Because I am going to make this party even more exciting!" She took off her witch's hat and inserted her hand in it, retrieving a black-and-red wand. "Come forth, Tainted Heart!"

All of a sudden, Syuusuke fell unconscious and a black crystalline heart emerged from his chest and hovered towards Anise's hand. This is the point where everyone panicked and ran out of the shop, save for Miyabi and Rumi. "Now, Kigiki! Let's go!" Anise pointed her wand at Miyabi's birthday cake, and the Tainted Heart floated towards the cake and went inside it. The cake shone brightly, and when the light disappeared, a creature made out of cake with eyes made of icing and legs made out of iced roses. The black heart appears on its forehead as it let out a guttural growl. "_Kiiiiiiiiiiiii_!"

Miyabi's eyes widened. _W-Wait.. that roar.. sounds familiar..._

"M-Miyabi!" Mocha yelled, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. "Those are the things that destroyed Sugarland, ~momo! They're called the Kigiki!"

"Now surrender the Candy Box to me, and there won't be any other casualties!" Anise announced. "Come on, just give it to me! And then I'll be on my way~" There was an childlike tone in her voice that Miyabi did not like at all.

"Miyabi-neechan! We have to get out of here!" Rumi pulled on her older sister's arm. But Miyabi was unresponsive... "Miyabi-neechan!" Rumi shouted, tears running down her frightened face.

"Rumi!" Miyabi suddenly spoke. "Go get help! I'll try to handle this!"

"But Miya-"

"Now!" Miyabi barked. Rumi hesitated, then put down her hand and ran out of the door. _Miyabi-neechan, _she thought.

"Being brave, I see~" Anise smirked. "Well let's see where that bravery of yours can take you! Kigiki, attack!" With another roar, the Kigiki flailed its candle-arms around, ruining the desserts display. Miyabi was able to dodge his arms anyway as she tried to protect Mocha in her arms as well.

"M-My red velvet cake!" Miyabi stammered. "I spent all week perfecting the batter!" She glared and went up to the monster, pointing her finger at him. "Hey! It's bad enough that you have to crash my birthday party, scared the living daylights out of my guests, AND destroying one-half of this shop! But when you destroy one of my cakes, you have gone too far, my friend!"

"Aww? But it's just some stupid cake," Anise scoffed. "What's so important about it anyway?"

"What's so important? Don't be ridiculous!" Miyabi retorted. "Those cakes... I really worked hard to make them... They made people smile! My parents worked hard for this party to be possible because they love me so much! The reason why I want to become a patissier is to make people happy by tasting my creations! And I won't let you get away with this!" _Cure Cinnamon won't be here to protect me from this thing... I have to be brave today! _she thought.

Meanwhile Mocha was staring up at her, amazed. "M-Miyabi..."

"Ahahaha! Human dreams are so shallow," Anise said, rolling her eyes. "Kigiki! Just finish her off!" she commanded. "_Gikiiiiii!_" it yelled shrilly as it raised its candle-arm and swung down hard at Miyabi; Miyabi tried to dodge but she came up short and fell down hard on the floor. She looked up and saw the candle going down to hit her and-

A sudden flash of light burst out from Miyabi's chest and threw the Kigiki out of balance. "Kiiiiiiiiii!" it shouted, shielding its eyes. "What's going on?!" Anise asked, but even Miyabi did not know what happened. And then a pink heart-shaped candy came out from her chest, floating idly in front of her. "Wh-What's...?" Her phone also floated out from her pocket and it shone as well; and when the light dissipated there's a tiny heart-shaped mark on top of the keyboard, small enough for a -

"Th-that's your Sugar Heart, ~momo!" Mocha jumped off from her arms. "Could it be... Yes! It is! Y-You're the one, ~momo!"

"M-Me?" Miyabi turned to look at the monster. It was momentarily disoriented. "Wh-What am I?"

"You're one of the legendary warriors, the Pretty Cure!" Mocha cheered.

Miyabi's eyes widened, and all of a sudden she got a flashback from the dream she had this morning.

* * *

><p><em>"Ah!" Miyabi toppled over as she tripped over something. She checked her injured knee, unaware that the monster has finally cornered her. And when she finally looked up, the monster was baring its fangs, ready to take a bite from her. Miyabi was about to scream again when -<em>

**_"Pretty Cure... Cinnamon Shoot!"_**

* * *

><p>"Cure Cinnamon... is a Pretty Cure..." Miyabi muttered. Just then she finally knew what to do. And with that, she placed her Sugar Heart on the heart-shaped hole on her phone and yelled, "<strong>Precure... Sweet Shining!<strong>"

The interior of the cafe has disappeared and she's floating in pink and purple light. She spun around, emitting sparkling pink light as she twirled. Her pink overalls disappeared and was replaced with a pink leotard, then a ruffled skirt with purple ribbons appeared around her waist. She placed her hand on her chest, and a purple collar bearing a small heart-shaped gem materialized near the collar, together with a pair of white bands with pink zigzagged lines on her wrists. Tapping her feet together produces pink heels with ribbons crisscrossing up the white knee-socks and ending into bows. Her hair was unraveled from the bun, separating into two curly pigtails and adorning itself with ribbons underneath two star-shaped clips.

She stopped twirling and landed softly on her heels. She somehow felt different, as if a more confident entity has possessed her to say, _"The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!"_ as she struck a pose. She's back in the shop again, with Anise looking very surprised and Mocha jumping up and down with joy.

Miyabi looked at her getup, raising her legs up to see her new shoes. And all she could say was, "Wh-What... is going on.."

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 - <strong>Dream Of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<br>**Miyabi**: Cure Taffy? Pretty Cure...? Mocha, what's happening?  
><strong>Mocha:<strong> You're one of the legendary warriors, ~momo! Like a superhero, in your world!  
><strong>Miyabi:<strong> I don't think I can understand that either.. eh? A superhero? That reminds me! Mocha, do you know someone named Cure Cinnamon?  
><strong>Mocha:<strong> She sounds familiar... Ah yes! I remember!  
><strong>Miyabi:<strong> Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight - **I Can Do this! Miyabi's Super Training! **D-Do I really have to train...


	2. 2: I Can Do This!

_"The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!"`_ Miyabi Ouka - now a Precure - announced as she struck a pose. That weird feeling of euphoria disappeared as the interior of the Heart-shaped Hearts cakeshop came into view. She felt like a different person - no, she's still her same old self, but her confidence and inner resolve has increased tenfold. It's like eating five slices of strawberry shortcake and being more determined to eat more.

Anise looked at the newly-transformed girl incredulously. "What did she just say? Cure Taffy? Could it be that she's- A P-Precure?" she sputtered. "You mean there's more of you?!"

"Cure Taffy!" Mocha cheered, his dark eyes sparkling in awe. "You did it, Miyabi ~momo! You're one of the chosen - Look out, ~momo!"

Cure Taffy looked up and saw the Kigiki come at her, this time the wicks of its candle-arms lit. _Ah! I did not see that coming-!_

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1 <strong>- Sweet Start! Precure

**Episode 2 **- I Can Do This! Miyabi's Super Training!

* * *

><p>But Cure Taffy cleanly dodged it as she recovered with a backflip. <em>H-How did I do that...<em>? she wondered to herself, doing a fighting stance. _Is this really all me?_

"Attack it, Cure Taffy!" Mocha yelled. "Come on! Weaken it first before you use your special attack!"

Cure Taffy nodded, flashing a cocky grin as she lunged forward and threw a flurry of tremendous punches on the monster, sending it flying through the wall. She evaded its lit-up hands and jumped up to the sky. "Aah! This is too _muuuuuuch!_" she yelled, flaying her arms and legs around as she went up, up, up into the air.

"Just do it, Cure Taffy! I believe in you!" Mocha yelled from below, and Taffy instantly forgot that she was afraid. This is no time to be shocked about her new powers, after all!"_Pretty Cure..._" She cupped her hands together, gathering bits of pink and purple energy. "..._Taffy Swirl!" _She then held her palms out and the pink and purple light shot out of them, spiraling around each other until it hits the monster's black heart.

"_Gikiiiiiiii!_" the Kigiki yelled as it evaporated, leaving behind the unscathed birthday cake. Cure Taffy lands on her feet, just as an orange candy heart popped out of the cake and floated towards her open hand.

Anise gritted her teeth. "Cure Taffy..." she growled. "Wait till Bittersweet hears about this, Precure!" And with that, she zoomed away on her broomstick and disappeared into the orange sky.

"What is this..." Cure Taffy remembered the pastel green heart that also appeared when Cure Cinnamon had defeated the Kigiki years ago.

"It's a Sugar Heart, ~momo!" Mocha ambled towards her, carrying the Candy Box. "Give it to me, ~momo!"

Cure Taffy handed him the candy heart. Mocha then opened the lid of the Candy Box and placed the heart on the engraved spot on the middle. As Mocha turned the little crank on the side of the box, Cure Taffy watched the orange heart slowly dissipate into shimmering sparks.

"That heart belongs to Shuu-chan, right?" Cure Taffy said, returning back to her normal self in a flash of pink light. "What will happen to him, then?"

"Oh he'll be fine ~momo," Mocha says, putting the Candy Box away in some kind of hammerspace by simply stashing it behind his back. "Sugar Hearts are created by any positive emotion, and humans can generate as many Sugar Hearts as they want. You should check on your Shuu-chan for the meantime, ~momo. I'll explain everything in a little while!"

"But what about-" Miyabi looked around, but it seemed that everything went back to normal as well. The hole in the wall that she created by punching the Kigiki to the front yard had been restored, and the birthday cake looked untouched too. She then ran back inside the shop.

"Shuu-chan!" Miyabi called out, finding Syuusuke's unconscious body on the floor. She quickly went up to him and crouched beside him. "Wake up, Shuu-chan!" she said, gently shaking him.

Syuusuke's eyes fluttered open, staring up at Miyabi. "M-Miyabi..." he said weakly. "What happened... here.."

Miyabi released a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay," she said. "Do you remember anything at all?"

"Not really..." Syuusuke slowly sat up. "I just remembered being hungry for your birthday cake but that's basically it."

Miyabi gritted her teeth and hit the brunette upside the head. "That's all you can remember?! Well in that case, no cake for you!"

"E-Eh? But that's all I can remember, I promise!"

"Yeah right! You just wanted to eat the cake first before me!"

Meanwhile Mocha was standing by the door, sweatdropping. "So this is... the new Precure.." he muttered, watching the new Legendary Warrior and her friend bicker as if the earlier events didn't happen at all.

* * *

><p>"New Precure?" Vanilla gasped.<p>

Anise had made it back to the Anzentou, relaying new information regarding the sighted Precure. Vanilla was pacing back and forth on the tiled monochrome floor, currently in deep thoughts.

"Well this certainly is an unfortunate turn of events," Sorell said, smirking while pouring himself a glass of grape juice. "But at least we now know where the Candy Box is. Are you sure you heard it right, Anise?"

"I know what I heard, you uneducated paperclip!" Anise retorted, banging her hand on her table. "One of Chocolat's knights had it with him! For fifteen years!"

"It's amazing how we could not locate the stupid Box for fifteen years," mused the androgynous person in pajamas, sipping a mug of coffee. "Unless the Box itself has passive magical abilities, like some sort of an untraceable spell..."

"That's exactly what Queen Chocolat did, I bet!" Anise said, snapping a candy cane in half and munching angrily on the curved end.

"Thyme is spot-on," Vanilla said, snapping herself out of her thoughts and sitting back on her chintz chair. "My _perfect_ sister had mastered all kinds of defensive magic and probably cast an untraceable spell on the Box. For all we know, the spell has already weakened, and that's when this new Precure appeared."

"You got defeated by a greenhorn Cure?" Sorell asked Anise. "Interesting..."

"I-I was caught off-guard, okay?!" Anise replied hotly. "But don't worry! I'll get her next time!" She gripped the candy cane in her hand so tightly it broke into two again.

Vanilla glanced at Anise and closed her eyes. _Precure..._

Thyme stared at the others and shrugged before taking another nap on the table again.

* * *

><p>"Today has been... rather hectic, isn't it?" Miyabi said, brushing her long pink hair in front of a mirror. "I'm just glad everyone was all right after what happened... Mom and Dad decided to hold the party in the house instead, and everyone barely remembered what happened too! It's almost as if-" She turned around to find Mocha devouring the last slices of the birthday cake, almost biting into the very last one.<p>

"MOCHAAAAAA!"

Miyabi grabbed the platter of cake as she chewed on the last slice, while Mocha lies on the floor with a big bump on his head. "Seriously, now I have to deal with two guys who always eat my stuff?!" she said.

"I'm sorry, Miyabi ~momo..." Mocha sighed. "I just couldn't resist..."

Miyabi swallowed. "Now tell me more about these Heart thingies!"

"Hmmm..." Mocha sat up. "You see, Sugarland gets its energy by Sugar Hearts, ~momo! The more people are happy, the more Sugarland will prosper with life!"

"But what about those dark heart things..."

"Oh, Tainted Hearts? They darken over a Sugar Heart whenever a person is feeling down and everything. But really, it's normal ~momo! It turns back to normal if the person feels happy again!" Mocha looked down at the floor. "However..."

"Hm?"

"You know that girl who made that monster, ~momo?" Mocha said somberly. "She's one of the Bittersweet. They have the power to make the effects of the Tainted Heart permanent, ~momo. And from it, they can create a Kigiki out of any object."

Miyabi gasped. She's now curious about the downfall of Sugarland more than ever. "Mocha... what really happened in Sugarland?"

Mocha blinked up at her. "Oh, that? I'll tell you soon. Just not now."

"Eh? But why not now?"

"There are more important matters, ~momo!" Mocha said. "First off, you have to find another Precure!"

"Another Precure?" _Well there IS one more Cure, but she's not around anymore... I wonder if Mocha knows?_ Miyabi thought. "Hey Mocha, do you know someone called Cure Cinnamon? Maybe she's-"

Mocha's ears perked up in interest. "You mean there's another Cure like you, ~momo? Who is it?"

"It's just that it's been a long time since I saw her... Her name's Cure Cinnamon. Do you know anything about her?"

"Cinnamon?!" Mocha stood up on his little feet and starting pacing to and fro in deep thought. "Cinnamon, Cinnamon... Ah! I-It can't be!"

"What? What can't be?" Miyabi held the plush bear's shoulders and shook him vigorously. "Tell me now, Mocha! Or else no more takoyaki for you!"

"Uwaaaa! Don't do that, it's making me dizzy!" Mocha leaped out of the pink-haired girl's grasp and shook his head. "Everything's all topsy-turvy now... Anyways, do you mean the missing Princess Cinnamon?"

"She's a missing princess from your land?" Miyabi asked, sitting down on her bed.

"Yes!" Mocha jumped onto the bed with her. "She's been missing for so long, ~momo! And it's my job to locate her as soon as possible, ~momo!"

"But she's been gone for so long too!" Miyabi pointed out. "I haven't seen her for seven years now..."

"That's why... a-ha!" Mocha glanced up at Miyabi with a determined glint in his eye. "You have to get stronger, ~momo!"

Miyabi can only blink. "Stronger...?"

* * *

><p>"Huh? You want me to train you, Miyabi?" Syuusuke asked.<p>

Miyabi was standing on the doorstep of the Saito dojo next door. "You gotta help me, Shuu-chan! I want to be strong just like you!" she said.

"What's this all of a sudden?" Syuusuke leaned on the doorframe. "Are you going to fight someone, or...?"

Miyabi froze for a second and flailed her arms around. "No way! It's just that... well, I woke up this morning and the first thing that I thought of was, 'Hey! Maybe I should get physically stronger today!' Don't you have thoughts like that, Shuu-chan?"

"I don't have the same mindset as you, you know," Syuusuke said, crossing his arms on his chest. "Well, what makes you think I'll train you?"

Miyabi brought out her phone and pressed a few buttons to call someone. "Hey, Kei? Shuu-chan won't let me train - oh, you want to talk to him? Sure!" she handed the phone to Syuusuke, who's now looking nervous for some reason. "It's Kei-chan. She wants to speak with you!" Miyabi said with an evil grin.

Syuusuke gulped. "D-Do I have to-"

_"SAITO SYUUSUKE!" _Miyabi had already put her phone on loudspeaker and Syuusuke was cringing from the sound of their childhood friend's irritated yell. "_YOU BETTER TRAIN THIS WIMP RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL PERSONALLY FLY FROM AMERICA TO -"_

"Hey, who are you calling a wimp, you nerd?" Miyabi snapped back.

"But Kei-" Syuusuke started, but Kei promptly cut him off again with a "_JUST DO IT SHUU-CHAN! MAKE MIYABI GROW A SPINE!_"

"Keiiiiii!" Miyabi whined while Syuusuke giggled. "Fine fine, I'll train the little brat for ya," he said into the phone.

"_Thank you Shuu-chan,_" Kei said, and Miyabi could've sworn she heard her best friend winking from the phone. "_I owe you one!"_

"You owe me a lot of things but you never repay them..." Syuusuke said with a sigh. "Later then! We miss you!"

"_See ya! I miss you too,_" Kei said. "_And the nerd too."_ And with that, she hung up.

"I am not a nerd..." Miyabi pouted. "Kei-chan can be so mean sometimes..."

"That's Chinatsu Kei for you," Syuusuke said. "Now then! How about my payment? I'm not gonna do this for free, y'know."

Miyabi opened her backpack and brought out a roll of bread wrapped in tin foil. "I knew you were gonna say that, so here you go."

Syuusuke took the bread and inspected it at all corners. "Yakisoba bread! For real? I don't have to pay for it?"

"Hey I never charge you for food, you know!" Miyabi stared at him. "So do we have a deal or not?"

The dark-haired boy paused for a bit as he thought, already taking a bite out of the bread. "Hmmm... Fine. But only light training, okay? You're still a beginner, so -"

"No. I want the real deal, Saito Syuusuke," Miyabi said sternly. "Pleaaaase? Just for today?"

"All right, all right!" Syuusuke sighed. "We're going to train at the backyard then, The dojo is under renovations, so we couldn't get in there for now." He stepped aside as Miyabi let herself in the Saito household.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogle curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>The backyard is actually an open field, the forest not too far from here. Miyabi and Syuusuke used to play near the forest when they were little. Miyabi stood stiffly with a serious look on her face, actually wearing a war headband around her forehead as Syuusuke paced in front of her in deep thought.<p>

"Right! So let's do some basic workouts! First, you have to run laps," he began.

"All right!" Miyabi cheered.

"I've already put signs on where to turn. So all you gotta do is just run fifty laps and -"

"Hold on!" Miyabi interjected him. "Fifty laps? _Just _fifty laps? Are you underestimating me, Shuu-chan?"

"N-No, it's just that-"

"I'm not a kid anymore, okay? Just give me a hundred laps instead! I can take it!" Miyabi tried flexing her nonexistent muscles on her arms. It didn't exactly impress the guy. "You can count on me!"

Syuusuke sighed. "Fine fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you! Aaaaaaaaand... go!"

Miyabi got startled as she stumbled through her first lap, but snapped out of it and breezed through the next few laps at a fast pace. _Hah! This is easy as pie! I can't believe Shuu-chan underestimated me! _

"Wow, Miyabi! You've been through your fifteenth lap already!" Syuusuke called out, pressing his stopwatch from time to time.

_I didn't notice that, _Miyabi thought as she ran more. _Is this a side effect of being a Precure? Oh man, this is so neat! _

But after a while, after she got through her thirtieth lap, her legs began to slow down and she's starting to pant. _I-I guess... this new-found endurance doesn't last long..._

"Tired already?" Syuusuke sighed. "I told you so. You can't even get to the fiftieth lap."

Miyabi shot death glares at him, which made him cringe in fright. "I... am NOT giving up, Saito Syuusuke!" She picked up the pace once more. "Not... ever..." She burst through the next few laps, her legs practically screaming in exhaustion as she ran more.

"You're almost there, Miyabi! Come on!" Syuusuke cheered.

Miyabi gritted her teeth, internally cheering herself on as she sped through the fiftieth lap before collapsing on the ground. "Uuuuughh.."

Syuusuke pressed his stopwatch. "Well... at least you ran through fifty-one laps.."

Miyabi was wheezing. "F-fifty-one... laps... That's close enough, I guess..."

* * *

><p>"You okay, ~momo?"<p>

"Y-Yeah... just a bit winded, is all.." Miyabi told Mocha. She's seated on an abandoned water fountain by the forest, digging her tired feet into the moist ground as she took a breather. "Ahhhh, that feels good," she sighed dreamily, feeling the cold earth with her toes.

"That's disgusting, ~momo," Mocha said, fishing out a bottle of water from the backpack and handing it to her. "Your boyfriend is being really harsh to you, too..."

Miyabi laughed as she received the water bottle from her teddy-bear friend. "He's not my boyfriend, Mocha. He's being himself, as usual. He's really spirited when it comes to exercise, so..." She took a swig of water and put it down beside her. "But maaaaan, I wish he coulda taken it easier with me. We did a lot of pushups, sit-ups, crunches, splits... everything under the sun!

* * *

><p><em>"Miyabi! Just one more! You can do it!" Syuusuke was yelling at her, using a megaphone made out of a rolled-up newspaper.<em>

_"Shuu... chan.." Miyabi was panting right now, her arms wobbling as she did her sixty-ninth pushup. "How much.. m-more-"_

_"DO YOU WANT KEI TO CALL YOU A NERD AGAIN?!"_

_That sentence sparked something inside Miyabi, her purple eyes sparkling as she lifted her arms once more, slowly. "S-SEVEN... SEVENTY!" she shouted before collapsing onto the ground, catching her breath again. _

_"All right, Miyabi! Good job!" Syuusuke said, bringing out a stick and two buckets of water. "Now jog around the block while carrying these! Just twenty laps!"_

_"EHHHHHH?!"_

* * *

><p>"But..."<p>

"Hm? But what, ~momo?" Mocha looked up at the pink-haired girl.

"Thanks a lot for suggesting this, Mocha," Miyabi said. "I should get stronger so that I can save your land... and find Cinnamon soon." _I hope she's okay out there... Somewhere...  
><em>

"Oi, Miyabi!" Syuusuke called out from the back door of his house. "We're still not done yet, okay? Your rest period's almost up!"

"Yeah yeah, just hold on!" Miyabi yelled back as she hopped off the fountain. She held up Mocha by the scruff of his neck and attempted to put him into her backpack.

"H-Hey! I can't breathe in here, ~momo! You can't keep me in here!" he protested.

"I can't risk you being seen by Shuu-chan so just wait a little longer, why don't you?!" Miyabi managed to stash the talking bear into her bag and zipped it shut before slinging it over her shoulder. Ignoring Mocha's muffled complaints and her shaking bag, she bent down to put on her shoes and-

_Whoosh._

The wind blew louder than it should be, scaring the birds away from the treetops.

"Well look who it is! If it isn't the new Precure~"

Miyabi turned around at the sound of that sickeningly childish voice. It was that white-haired girl who unleashed that monster during her birthday yesterday! "You-!"

"Ohohohohoho~ Surprised to see me? I really did miss our fun time yesterday, you know?" Anise said with a smile.

"I never knew being defeated by a new Precure was fun, but sure why not," Miyabi shrugged.

"H-Hey! I wasn't talking about that, you dense cupcake!" Anise said indignantly.

"Dense... cupcake?"

"You shut your mouth!" Anise pointed at the pink-haired girl. "I know your little bear friend there has the Candy Box, so hand it over!"

The backpack shook, and out comes Mocha, backflipping through the air and landing in front of Miyabi. "You'll never take the Candy Box from me, ~momo! Never!"

"And if you're gonna take Mocha away, you have to go through me first!" Miyabi said, moving in front of Mocha.

Anise sighed. "Fiiiine. I guess I'll do it by force, then!" She then brought out a sparkling Tainted Heart from out of nowhere and tossed it into the abandoned water fountain. Miyabi moved out of the way as Anise aimed her wand at the fountain, summoning yet another Kigiri which grew legs, a face on its spout part, and the black heart-shaped gem on its 'forehead'.

"_Kigiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"_

"Miyabi!" Mocha said, and Miyabi nodded as she thrust her hands out forward. "Okay! _Pretty Cure... Sweet Shining!_"

"_The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!_"

"Kigiki, attack!" Anise commanded. The fountain Kigiki roared out its name once more before charging at the pink Cure at full speed, but Taffy deftly leaped into the air and then hitting it with her signature "_Precure Taffy Kick!" _as her boot connected to the monster's cement body and sent it flying into the foliage.

"Did she just... name her kick.." Mocha commented with a sweatdrop, watching from the safety on a tree branch.

"Hah! I did it! I totally did it- aaaahhh!" But Taffy had no time to cheer because the Kigiki just spouted a large stream of water at her, slamming her onto a tree. "Oof! H-Hey! That was uncalled for!"

"Just finish her already, Kigiki!" Anise said. "It's useless trying to train yourself for this, greenhorn Cure! All your hard work will be for naught when the Bittersweet takes over these useless two worlds! Ohohohohoho~"

"Wh-Who said this all for nau- Aaaahhhh!" The Kigiki attacked the poor Cure with more water before she could even continue speaking.

"I mean _come on_, your precious Cure-senpai is gone for who knows how many years!" Anise said, yawning. "You're all alone in this, and that's pretty sad actually. And besiiiiiides, you're too exhausted from your measly human training, you big goof!"

_Sh-she's right about one thing, and that I'm getting really tired from Shuu-chan's training earlier_. Cure Taffy could barely move her arms and legs due to the incoming muscle strain. She jumped into the air again for another Taffy Kick, but gets blasted away yet again by the fountain Kigiki's water spout. "Ah!" She tumbled on the ground before bumping into the tree trunk for the third time. Her eyes could be swirling with dizziness by now.

"Ooohohohohoho! Is this really the power of the Precure?" Anise gloated. "How pathetic. Kigiki, just one more-"

"No. Stop. I've had... enough."

Anise looked over to see the battered Cure Taffy struggling to stand up on her two feet. "Oooh? What did you just say? You're actually pleading for me to stop~? Well then, I'll just-"

And then Cure Taffy's boot met Anise's face, kicking her into a tree.

"I never said ANYTHING about pleading, you old witch!" Taffy said.

"O-Old witch?!" Anise flared. "Why I oughta-" _I didn't see her just now! How did she..._

"No! YOU listen up!" Taffy fumed. "Shuu-chan never gave up on me! Even though he has trained me until my legs screamed, I am NOT going to throw away his training like it was nothing! And also, the reason why I trained today is because I am going to find Cure Cinnamon! Because I'm sure..."

"_Kiiiiii!_"

She backflipped into the air again as soon as she sensed the Kigiki coming at her from behind, and kicked it right onto Anise. "I'm confident... that I'm not alone in this," she said as calmly as she could, but she's boiling mad on the inside. "I may be a greenhorn Cure, but as soon as I find Cure Cinnamon I am going to ask her everything I should about being a Precure!"

She landed softly on the ground. "And what you just said... is totally UNFORGIVABLE!" she screamed, readying her hands for her attack. "_Pretty_ _Cure... Taffy Swirl!_" Pink and purple bits of light shot out from her hand and hit the Kigiki and Anise, who yelled in agony at the purifying attack aimed at her.

The fountain Kigiki reverted back to its normal form in a puff of smoke, and out came a purified purple Sugar Heart from its spout. Anise propped herself on the treetrunk as she staggered to get up, her clothes tattered and her cheek marked with the sole of Taffy's boot.

"You're gonna... pay for this, Precure..." Anise coughed as she snapped her fingers, and her broomstick appeared out of nowhere to sweep her off her feet and off she flew.

Mocha took out the Candy Box and began absorbing the Sugar Heart into it immediately. "Good work, Cure Taffy ~momo!" he cheered while turning the crank. "With that attitude, I'm sure we can find the Cinnamon that we've been looking for all this time..."

He turned around and saw Cure Taffy, changed back into Miyabi, collapse onto the ground.

"Momo! W-Wake up, ~momo!" He shook Miyabi's shoulder's hysterically, urging her to wake. "_Momoooooo!_"

* * *

><p>When Miyabi came to, she found herself on the couch of the Saito household.<p>

"Welcome back, Miyabi," Syuusuke said, who was seated beside her all this time. "I was really worried! When I came back to get you, you've already fainted! Was I too harsh on you? I'm really sorry, I promise to take it easy for you nex-"

"Shuu-chan..." Miyabi said with a weak smile. "It was nothing, really. Just got tired, is all." She looked at the backpack placed by her feet and could feel Mocha snoring soundly inside it. "We should... do this again sometime."

The brunette returned the smile. "Whenever you're free then! Also, something very weird happened when I found you in the forest..."

Miyabi felt her sweat grow cold. _W-Wait, did he see the damage that I left there...?_

"Remember the old rickety fountain in there?" Syuusuke went on. "It's flowing with water and everything now! And the water's kinda sparkly, like magic!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, it's so bizarre," Syuusuke scratched the back of his head. "It's like... a sign or something. A sign of good things to come."

Miyabi's smile curved into a grin. "Yep, you could definitely say that!"

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 - <strong>Dream Of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<br>Miyabi: Back to school? That means back to cooking class! I'm so hyped to be back, Mocha~!  
><span>Mocha<span>: I can't believe a human girl like you likes things such as school... Wait a minute, who's that, ~momo?  
><span>Miyabi<span>: Ehhh? Kei-chan?! What are you doing here?  
><span>Kei<span>: Miyaaaaa! Surprised you, didn't I?  
><span>Miyabi<span>: Ehhhhhh?  
><span>Mocha<span>: Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight - **Kei's Determination! A Fiery Cooking Battle!**  
><span>Miyab<span>i: What is she... doing here...?


	3. 3: Kei's Determination!

"Now just hold.. still.." the androgynous being in pajamas gently dabbed the livid Anise's bruised face with a cotton swab dipped in a silver concoction.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-OWWW! Thyme, just do it GENTLY!" the witch girl whined, blinking the tears from her eyes. "That stupid newbie Cure... I can't believe she just damaged my FACE like this! My delicate, wonderful face!"

"That is very unfortunate, yes," Sorrel drummed the surface of the dining table idly, smiling serenely at Anise, "But I could not comprehend how you did not see that girl coming at you from a mile away."

"Shut UP, Sorrel!" Anise shouted, pointed a newly-sharpened candy cane at the smiling man. "And be careful with that thing, Thyme! Don't you DARE poke my eye out!" she added.

"Yeah yeah," Thyme rolled their gray eyes as they tapped more medicine on Anise's cheek.

Smirking, Sorrel leaned back in his chair, swishing the goblet full of wine in his hand. "How about I show you how it's done, my dear Anise? I am sure that you'll learn a lot from my-" Sorrel then moved his head sideways as Anise threw the peppermint cane at him, hitting the chair's backrest instead. "-techniques. Honestly, Anise, don't you want to lear-"

"I've had enough of your stupid chit-chat you nimrod!" Anise fumed, hurling another candy cane at him (to which he neatly dodged anyway). "If you're THAT incredible, go ahead! Vanilla-sama was gone when I came back here anyway, so just... go!"

Sorrel stood up and bowed. "All right then. Watch and learn, dear Anise." And so he vanished in the blink (or a wink) of an eye, leaving a steaming Anise and a very impassive Thyme.

"That... that jerk! He's gonna pay once he gets floored like me! Hmph!" Anise said.

Thyme paused, their lips curling into a frown. _Where did Vanilla-sama go anyway_, they thought.

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1<strong> - Sweet Start! Precure

* * *

><p>"Oh wow! It's harvest day!"<p>

It seemed that Mocha is back in Sugarland, as he's staring at the large fruit orchard before him. The cotton-candy clouds floated by in the azure sky, and the butterscotch sun shone down at the sparkling fruit trees. Mocha ran towards a peach tree and climbed up to retrieve one shining peach from a branch, and was about to bite into the succulent pink fruit when-

BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!

"Waahh!" Mocha woke up with a start, realizing that he's eating his blanket the whole time. He started looking around the pink Cure's room for the source of the noise, and his beady black eyes quickly landed on the blinking clock on Miyabi's bedside, buzzing about, while said girl's still snoring away.

Mocha hopped off his makeshift bed on the windowsill and toddled over to Miyabi's bed. He climbed up the blankets and shook the pink-haired girl awake. "Miyabi! Miiiiiyabi! Make that thing stop beeping, ~momo!" he said.

"Mmm.. yeah, hold on.." Miyabi pushed the talking bear away and sat up in her bed, stretching her arms out as she yawned."Why did I set the alarm for today..."

She stared up at the sloped ceiling above her bed, where a calendar filled with doodles and encircled dates was pasted on. Then all of a sudden, she felt like she guzzled down a whole mug of coffee as she hopped out of bed and started hopping on her feet in excitement. "Ohhhh my god! Mocha! Today's the day! It's the-"

"Today's what, ~Momo?" Mocha stared incredulously at the pink-haired girl who's about to burst with delight.

"TODAY'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!"

* * *

><p>Episode 3 - Kei's Determination! A Fiery Cooking Battle!<p>

* * *

><p>"Don't forget to swallow, oneechan..."<p>

Rumi could only stare at her sister wolfing down her breakfast greedily. Looking disgusted, she poured herself a glass of juice and slowly chewed on her meal. _Oneechan's the only person I know in this world who gets this excited for school_, she thought.

"Uwaaah! I'm late! I'm gonna be laaate!" Miyabi said, knocking the chair she's sitting on down as she suddenly stood up from the table.

"Oneechan you're not-"

"SavethatforlaterokayRumibye!" Miyabi snatched up a piece of toast with a star-shaped fried egg on it and ran off to the front door to put on her shoes.

"But oneechan you're not gonna be-" Rumi flinched as she heard the door slam. "-late." She sighed at her sister's really weird fascination for education and got up to get more rice for her bowl-

Wait a minute.

Rumi backtracked to the dining table and then sighed in exasperation again. "She even forgot her bento!"

* * *

><p>Miyabi stuffed the rest of the toast in her mouth as she ran down the the sloping road, dodging other students who are also on their way to school. School has always been her favorite place to be because of everyone there and the cooking club and-<p>

BUMP!

She collided onto someone's back. Of course. For some reason she's bound to crash into someone on the way to school on the first day. Last year it was a really cute freshman with a dimple on his nose and he was reaaally cute and-

"Ow! Watch where you're going, you brat!" a feminine voice said.

"Ah! I'm very sorry!" Miyabi quickly bowed down in respect, then looked up to see a girl who looked around seventeen-ish, with curly black hair and ruby-red eyes. She's wearing a black school uniform with a skirt ending at her shins, which is odd because the only school with black uniforms like that is...

"Don't you 'huh' me! Do you even know who you're talking to?" The girl talked again, sounding very pissed. "Ugh, whatever." She rolled her eyes, flipping her hair before going on her way. Miyabi could only blink at her.

"Who was that, anyway?" she asked to no one in particular.

"That's some bad luck running into her, Miyabi-san," another girl, this time wearing the same brown uniform that Miyabi has approached her from behind. Her black hair is tied back with pigtails and adorned with yellow bows. "You really don't know who she is?"

"Ah, Mayoyon! Good morning to you!" Miyabi said with a wave. Mayoi Katsukawa is a member of the cooking club along with Miyabi and a good friend of hers. "Well she does look familiar but she suddenly left without saying her name!" she said as they both walked together.

"That's Anno Tenma-san, you big goof!" Mayoi said. "She's the mayor's daughter! Seriously, how can you NOT know?"

"I really don't care about that, okay?" Miyabi said. "I mean I know the mayor has a daughter but I don't really see her around much."

"She goes to Amayaka High in the next city over so I understand why you don't see her around much. But seriously Miyabi-san..." Mayoi stared at her partner in disbelief. _I know she can be really focused on her cooking but this is taking things too far! _she thought.

"Yeah yeah. I'm glad to have known her now though!" Miyabi said. "She seems pretty nice to me!"

Mayoi froze for a bit. "Miyabi-san are you seriou-"

"Welp! Time for homeroom!" Miyabi cut her off as they finally arrived in front of the school gates. "I'll see you in cooking class later, Mayoyon! See ya!" And with that she ran off inside the campus.

Mayoi scratched the back of her head as she let out a big sigh. "Never change, Miyabi-san..."

* * *

><p>The gymnasium is packed with students, which is typical for the entrance ceremony. As the principal kept on talking on stage, Miyabi fidgeted in her seat. "Is it just me or did I forget something... What time is it anyway?"<p>

She turned to her left and tapped the shoulder of a girl with short green hair with glasses. "Excuse me! Do you have the time?"

The green-haired girl put down the book she was reading and propped her glasses on top of her head. "The time?"

"Yes! What time is it?"

"Time..." The green-haired girl seemed to be hesitating. "Time for... school?" she turned to look at Miyabi, her blue eyes glinting.

_Yep, that's Fubuki Yui-san all right_, Miyabi sweatdropped. Yui has one of the highest grades in Amatoshima Middle School, but she often keeps to herself and doesn't have a lot of friends. She's rather eccentric too. _Come to think of it, does she even HAVE friends? _

"N-Never mind..." Miyabi said. "You go back to whatever you're reading now."

"Thank you," Yui said with a small smile before opening her book and donning her glasses once more. Miyabi sighed and pulled out her phone. _So it's almost eight... hm? A message from Kei? _She pressed some buttons and then read the text.

_Hey Miyabi! Got a surprise for ya real soon! Consider it as a belated birthday present! See ya and love ya! _(#｀ε´#ゞ

Miyabi locked her phone, her mouth curling into a smile. _I wonder what it is, Kei-chan?_

* * *

><p>"Good morning class!"<p>

"Good morning, Anami-sensei!" the class of 2-B greeted their purple-haired teacher who looked way too young to be an educator enter the classroom. Nana Anami placed her hands on the table, her glasses shining in determination as she announced, "Today we have a new student joining us this year! So treat her well, okay?"

"Ooooh, a new student?" Miyabi said. She leaned towards Yui's table on her right and nudged her elbow. "Have any ideas on who it is, Fubuki-san?"

Fubuki glanced up from her book for a minute, then went back to reading again. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any idea..." she said quietly.

"Oh..." _Why won't you look here, Fubuki-san? _Miyabi sweatdropped once more.

"Well, here she is!" Anami-sensei turned to the door as it opened. A slightly-tanned girl with short flyaway blond hair strode in and took her place in front of the class. "Hello! Um... I'm kinda nervous though..." she said with a slight Western accent.

Miyabi froze when she heard that voice. It's that voice that she heard from countless voice calls. She turned to look at the blond girl and time seemed to stop for her. _That's... No way..._

"My name's Chinatsu Kei!" the blond girl said excitedly. "Nice to meet you all!"

And Miyabi screamed.

* * *

><p>"Geez Miyabi, there's no need to shout like that in the middle of the class..." Kei said, pouting at her friend.<p>

The two of them were at the rooftop, enjoying the breeze that blew in. Kei leaned against the chain-link fence while Miyabi lied down on the shadowed portion of the rooftop, sighing.

"I'm sorry!" Miyabi apologized profusely. "It's just that... You..."

"Me?" Kei pointed to herself.

"You..." Miyabi got up from the floor and approached her. "You stupid... _DORK!_" Then she punched her childhood friend on the arm. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU'RE HERE?! I! CAN'T! BELIEVE! YOU!" She punctuated each word with a punch.

"Ow! Ow- Miyabi... ow! Quit it!" Kei pushed the pink-haired girl away and laughed. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to see your reaction! Ahahaha!" She doubled over the concrete floor. "And it worked! It's so amazing! You should've seen the look on your face!" She said in between laughs, wiping the tears away.

Miyabi growled. "You are SO DEAD, Chinatsu Kei! Wait till I sic Shuu-chan at you!"

"Shuu-chan's at my beck and call, Miyabi-chan~ He's to follow each and every word of mine!" Kei's still laughing on the floor, and Miyabi's resisting to urge to push her off the building lovingly.

"But really though..." Miyabi said, her voice softening. "I'm glad you're here. This is the best belated birthday present anyone could ever give me! Thank you so much!"

Kei stopped rolling on the floor to smile up at her. "You're welcome."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogle curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>"Man, I'm starved," Kei said as she and Miyabi went down the stairs from the rooftop. "Let's go eat lunch at the quad."<p>

Miyabi nodded happily as she went ahead.

* * *

><p>"Ehhhhh?!"<p>

Miyabi emptied the contents of her bag but found no sign of her bento anywhere. "I KNEW I forgot something! Why did it have to be my bento?!" she wailed despairingly.

"Hey hey, don't sweat it," Kei said, placing her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "We could share mine!"

"But it won't be enough for both of us!" And suddenly a lightbulb seemed to go off in Miyabi's head. "I know! Come with me!" She grabbed Kei's wrist and dragged her out of the classroom.

"H-Hey! Where are we going?!" Kei exclaimed.

"To my favorite place in the whole school, of course!" Miyabi cheered.

* * *

><p>"Okay, when you said <em>favorite place in the whole school<em>, I thought it was the cafeteria," Kei said blankly.

"That's my second fave, Kei-chan!" Miyabi said. "My ultimate favorite place is, of course -"

"The Home Ec. classroom." Kei sighed. "Of course. Who would've thought?" she said with a shrug.

Miyabi danced around the classroom, opening cabinets and taking out utensils, pots, and pans and setting them on the counters. "Go get the food from the fridge too, Kei-chan!"

"Wait, what are we doing?" Kei asked, dashing towards the fridge and taking out some eggs and butter.

"I already asked permission from Kano-sensei! We can cook our lunch here!" Miyabi said, her voice bursting from excitement already.

"Really?" _I can't believe she got permission so easily_, Kei thought incredulously.

"And to make things more exciting!" She stopped dancing and turned to Kei, who's taking out carrots and ketchup. "How 'bout we make it into a contest? The one with the most delicious omurice wins!"

"Ehhh? But you know I can't cook!" Kei said, almost dropping an egg. "That's unfair on my part, Miyabi!"

"Making omurice is easy, Kei-chan! Come on!" Miyabi urged her, pulling her arm. "We can have Fubuki-san as our judge!"

"Fubuki? You mean the girl seated next to you in class? Why her?"

Miyabi paused. "I don't know... she just came up first in my mind."

"Well... you're on!" Kei did a thumbs-up sign at her. "I won't lose to you, Grand Cooking Master Ouka Miyabi!"

"Grand Cooking Master?" Miyabi giggled. "I like the sound of that! Bring it on!"

* * *

><p>"Vanilla-sama! You came back!" Anise said in rejoice as the white-haired lady came to join them at the table.<p>

Vanilla ignored her. "Where's Sorrel?" she asked, failing to suppress a yawn.

"He's at the human world, Vanilla-sama," Thyme said. "It's his turn to defeat the Precure."

"Hmmm." Vanilla sat down on her chair. "Anise, get him back here. It's not yet his time."

"Eh? O-Of course! As you wish, Vanilla-sama!" Anise said before summoning a broomstick and flew away on it at light-speed.

Thyme turned to look at their lady, who only stared at nothingness. _Why...?_

* * *

><p>"Thanks for coming, Fubuki-san!" Miyabi said, leading Yui into the Home Ec. classroom. "I thought you'd still be eating lunch at the time, so I'm really glad that you're free!"<p>

"It's totally fine," Yui said as she sat down in front of a table with two plates of steaming omurice just waiting to be consumed. "I don't eat lunch anyways so-"

"You don't eat lunch? But-"

"Miyabi we can talk about that later!" Kei interrupted her. "Right now it's time for me to win!"

"That's where you're wrong, Kei-chan, because I'M gonna be the victor!" Miyabi boasted.

"No way! You may have experience, but the newbies usually win the first time!"

"That's called beginners' luck you-"

"This omurice tastes really great," Yui said, chewing thoughtfully at Miyabi's dish. Miyabi and Kei looked and gaped at Yui already spooning the last of the omurice into her mouth. "The rice is really tasty, and the mushrooms are a nice touch. Way to go."

"Uh... thank you, Fubuki-san!" Miyabi said, then turned to Kei. "See? _See?! _Fubuki-san said that mine's good! I win!"

"Not so fast!" Kei said, pursing her lips. "She hasn't even tried mine yet! Go ahead, Fubuki!" She nudged her dish towards the green-haired girl.

Yui blinked at her omurice, then picked up her spoon. "All right then." She scooped up a bite-sized piece and put it in her mouth. She began chewing for a few moments before swallowing and then said in the calmest voice possible, "Chinatsu-san, could you get me some water?"

Kei blinked. "Um, sure!" She rushed to the faucet and filled a glass with water, then returned to Yui. "Here you go!" Yui took the glass from her hands and took a long swig from it. "Uh... Fubuki-san? How was it?" she asked.

Yui put the glass down and stared at Kei long and hard. "Chinatsu-san... why did you put wasabi in omurice?"

Miyabi snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. "Kei-chan... a-are you serious.."

"I-I thought that would spice things up!" Kei said, her cheeks reddening. "No one told me that you're not supposed to put wasabi in omurice!"

Miyabi burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! This is freaking incredible! Welp, looks like I wi-"

"The winner is Chinatsu Kei-san by a landslide," Yui said lightly, wiping her mouth with her handkerchief.

Miyabi did a double take. "WHAT?!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Kei cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "See? _See?! _I told you newbies always win the first time!"

"That's beginner's luck, Kei-chan! _Beginner's luck!_" Miyabi said, flicking the blonde's forehead annoyingly.

"Ow, that really hurt!" Kei pouted.

"Good!"

Yui just blinked at the two bickering friends then stood up from her chair. "I better take my leave now," she said vacantly. "Thanks for the meal."

"Ah, sorry to impose on your lunchtime! I'm really glad you did this for us, Yui!" Kei said with a grin.

"Y-Yui...?" Yui's cheeks began to redden.

"You called her by her first name, Kei-chan?" Miyabi asked. "No one has ever called Fubuki-san by her first name before!"

"Honorifics can be so lame sometimes. And you should drop the -chan while you're at it too, Miyabi! We've been best friends for a long time now, for crying out loud!" Kei said. "And besides, she's our friend now! I've never seen anyone take wasabi with a straight face before! You're amazing, Yui!"

"A-A-Amazing...?" Yui stammered, her whole face a beet-red. She spun around on her heel and said, "We have to... g-get to class now..."

"Not so fast!" a masculine voice boomed through the classroom. The three girls turned around and saw a white-clad man with glasses, holding up some playing cards. "Yes, that weird-tasting food should do the trick..."

"Who are you?!" Kei demanded.

"My name's Sorrel, my dear," Sorrel said with a bow, then a Tainted Heart appeared with a flurry of his hand. "And don't you forget it! Kigiki, go!" He threw the Tainted Heart at the omurice, and the dish began glowing in a bright light. The girls shielded their eyes and when they can finally see, an omurice Kigiki was already throwing the plates and appliances around. "_Kiiiiiiiii!_" it bellowed.

"What's... what's that thing?" Kei asked, frightened. Yui hid behind her and gripped her shoulders tightly.

_A Kigiki? That means he's one of those Bittersweet bad guys! _Miyabi thought, digging her hand into her pocket and gripping her phone. "Girls, you gotta out of here! I'll try holding this thing off!"

"Miyabi are you serious?!" Kei shouted. "You might get hu-"

"Just go take Yui to safety!" Miyabi yelled back. "I'll be fine, just leave!"

Kei hesitated for a moment, then took Yui's hand and scrambled out of there.

"You must be the new Precure that Anise was whining about," Sorrel said. "I am honored."

Miyabi took out her phone and cleanly dodged the vegetables that the Kigiki just threw. "Storming into our lunchtime and turning Kei's omurice into a monster... I absolutely can't forgive you for th-"

"SORREL!" another voiced yelled, this time coming from the window. Miyabi turned and stared at Anise hovering on the broomstick outside. "Vanilla-sama said this isn't your time yet! I can't believe you!"

"Though I do not want to disobey our lady's wishes, I believe that this is actually my high time to battle with this sweet little girl," Sorrel said, then threw his other cards at Miyabi. Miyabi twirled away from the razor-sharp cards and kicked one of them back to Sorrel, who merely moved his head aside to evade it.

"Whoa... I can do that?" Miyabi said in bewilderment.

"_That's one of the benefits of being a Precure, ~momo!_"

"Mocha?" Miyabi looked at her phone, which showed Mocha's face on the screen. "Hey there! Sorry for not taking you to school and all, it's just that I'm really excited to-"

"_Never mind that, ~momo! You gotta defeat this Kigiki, ~momo!_" Mocha said. "_Just transform already, ~momo!_"

"Fine, fine!" Miyabi sighed, swiping her finger on the Precure App. _"Precure, Sweet Shining! The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!"_

"Hmph. Kigiki, attack her-" Sorrel yelled, but then a long candy cane jutted in from the window and yanked him outside. "Hey! What is going on? Anise, let go of me!"

"I am following Vanilla-sama's orders, and so should you! You're a disgrace to the Bittersweet!" Anise said. She turned to Taffy and pointed her long candy cane at her. "You! I'll defeat you someday, Cure Taffy! But you have to take on this loser's pathetic excuse of a Kigiki first!"

"Excuse you? That Kigiki is a masterpiece-"

"Can it, will you?" Anise said, and with that the two of them zoomed away to the skies on the broomstick just like that.

Taffy looked out of the window in utter disbelief of what she just witnessed. "What... just happened?"

"_Gikiiiiiiii!_" The roar of the Kigiki brought her back to reality and started charging towards her. Taffy leaped forward, narrowly missing the Kigiki, and landed on the floored and turned around as the Kigiki made a huge hole on the wall and fell from the second floor of the school building. "Oh darn..." Taffy said guiltily, biting her lip. _How am I gonna explain this to the authorities..._

* * *

><p>"We'll be safe here, I think." Kei said. She and Yui are outside the school together with a crowd of students. The teachers are present, doing headcounts and calming some of the students down. They spotted Anami-sensei counting off the class and quickly ran towards her.<p>

"Fubuki! Chinatsu! Thank goodness you're all right," Anami-sensei said with a sigh of relief. "That earthquake was rather sudden, isn't it?"

"That wasn't an earthqua-" Yui began to say but Kei nudged her. "No one's gonna believe us if we said that a monster was attacking the classroom!" Kei whispered.

"Hold on... I'm missing one student," Anami-sensei said. "Where's Ouka?"

Kei froze, suddenly worried for her friend. "I'll go get her, sensei!" And off she ran.

"Chinatsu, wait!" Anami-sensei was yelling. "Chinatsu!"

Yui looked down at the ground, closing her eyes and praying fervently to herself. _Please make it out alive... Ouka-san. Chinatsu-san._

* * *

><p>"Miyabi!" Kei ran up to the second floor as fast as her legs can take her. She felt like crying, but she brushed that thought away. "<em>Miyabiiiii!<em>" _Where the heck could she be?! Is she hiding?_ She arrived at the Home Ec. classroom, which was completely wrecked. She's getting more and more worried. "Miyabi? You in here?" She gingerly took a step into the ruined classroom and looked at the gaping hole in the wall. Carefully walking in, she took a glimpse at the hole and saw -

_"Precure Taffy Punch!_"

"_Kiiiiiiiiiiii!_"

Kei watched the pink-clad girl throwing a punch at the omurice monster in the quad, sending it flying towards the building. "Whoa-whoa-WHOA!" Kei wobbled at the Kigiki's impact on the wall, lost her footing, then fell through the hole -

Kei's life actually flashed through her eyes. Playing with her sister Meiko in kindergarten. Meeting Miyabi for the first time in elementary. Hanging out with her. Receiving news that they'll be moving to America. Tearfully saying farewell to Miyabi. Getting used to the American life. Endlessly calling Miyabi through phones and voice calls. Finally going back to Amatoshima with her sister. Seeing Miyabi's face for the first time in six years and hearing her scream in class a few hours ago.

"Oh god oh god oh god she's dead no no no no she can't be dead oh god oh god"

She felt something dripping on her face. Her eyelids fluttered open to see the pink-clad girl with curly pigtails, her eyes shiny with tears. _Was she... crying? Because of me? She saved me? _"H-Hey... what just -"

"Oh god! You're alive!" the pink girl said, wrapping Kei in a tight hug. "I really thought you're done for! I'm so glad!"

"Who... who are you?" Kei said, her head still dizzy from the fall.

The girl paused, then said, "You can call me... Cure Taffy."

_Cure Taffy..._ Kei thought. "Hey, have you seen this girl around?" She took out her phone and unlocked it. The wallpaper was a picture of Miyabi grinning widely in her school uniform. "I'm really worried about her and I was wondering -"

Cure Taffy covered her mouth and held back a sob. "She's f-fine," she said. "I saw her run away. I think she's worried about you."

"How do you know that?"

"She had this... this worried look on her face," Taffy said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But don't worry! I'm sure she'll be fine! I bet she's looking for you too."

"I'm glad..." Kei said. She got up to her feet and saw the fainted Kigiki. "Aren't you gonna defeat that thing or something?" she asked Taffy.

"Oh... oh yeah." Taffy sweatdropped. "Guess I got carried away with saving you and all that. Now then! _Precure Taffy Swirl!_" The pink and purple rays of light successfully purified the Kigiki and it left a navy-blue Sugar Heart. Taffy picked it up and put it in the heart-shaped gap on her phone, pressed a button, and watched it dissolve into sparks.

"Thank you for saving me, Cure Taffy," Kei said. "I have to go look for my friend now! See you around!" And so she ran off again.

Taffy pressed another button in her phone and went back to being Miyabi. "Kei..." her voiced trailed off, her eyes brimming with tears once more.

* * *

><p>"Miyabi!"<p>

Miyabi came rushing out of the school building, huffing and puffing. "I... made it out alive.." she panted, then looked up to see Anami-sensei's angry expression. "A-Anami-sensei...?"

What followed is a lengthy lecture about safety, courtesy of Nana Anami-sensei. Yui looked relieved to see Miyabi in one piece, but Kei looked rather pensive. _Where was Miyabi all this time anyway?_

"...and don't you EVER do that again, you hear me Ouka?" Anami-sensei concluded. "Your friends are worried sick about you, you know that?! Especially Chinatsu! She's been your best friend since forever, right?"

"I get it, I get it! I'm reaaaally sorry, Anami-sensei!" Miyabi pleaded. "I just panicked, okay? I had to... to hide in many places! It was really scary!"

_Hide in many places, hm? _Kei thought.

"All right, I'm glad you're still with us, Ouka." Anami-sensei smiled. "We're all truly worried about you, you know? Now go reunite with your friends."

Miyabi nodded and ran up to Kei and Yui. "Hey guys! That was... that was really something, huh?" she said, still slightly panting.

"Miyabi." Kei looked at Miyabi with a serious look in her face. "Where were you during the monster's attack?"

Miyabi's heart skipped a bit with panic. "What do you mean? I-I was hiding this whole time!" _Don't tell me..._

"If you're really hiding, then why didn't you run out of the building?" Kei said, her brows knitted into a frown. "I know you said that you're to fight off the monster but that's impossible for you to take on! Unless..."

_No... _Miyabi could've sworn her body turned into ice. _She figured it out-_

"You're... You're Cure Taffy, aren't you?" Kei asked.

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 - <strong>Dream of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<br>Kei: Admit it, Miyabi. You're actually Cure Taffy! The one of a kind photo booth!  
>Miyabi: Ph-Photo booth?! Ehhh?<br>Mocha: Don't let her find out who you are, Cure Taffy! She could be in danger!  
>Miyabi: Kei in danger? That will never happen! Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight - <strong>The Secret's Already Out?! Cure Butterscotch Appears!<strong>  
>Kei: I can't believe you're keeping secrets from me... aren't we friends, Miyabi?!<p> 


	4. 4: The Secret is Already Out!

"You're... You're Cure Taffy, aren't you?" Kei asked, crossing her arms. "You can't lie to me, Miyabi. You know how I can see right through you."

That question sent shivers up Miyabi's spine. Time seemed to stop for her as she stared at her best friend's stern expression on her face. _I can't believe it... Kei figured it all out in such a small amount of time...! _she thought.

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1<strong> - Sweet Start! Precure

* * *

><p>"Well? Am I right? Were you the one who saved me back there?" Kei said, sighing and scratching the back of her head. "I mean it's too much of a coincidence. You told me and Yui to run away so that you can fight it off using your photo-booth powers. Also Cure Taffy cried when she saw my wallpaper of you. Now why would a stranger cry at a picture of someone she doesn't know?"<p>

_She figured out THIS much?! _Miyabi panicked internally. "U-Um... see-"

"Can I interrupt?" Yui interjected, stopping both of the girls in their tracks. "Chinatsu-san, what's this photo-booth that you keep on talking about?"

"This magical girl keeps on screaming 'Photo booth! Photo booth!' in her attacks!" Kei said. "It's a weird thing for a magical girl to say but who am I to judge? Anyways... Miyabi!"

Miyabi gasped and stood still. "Y-Yes?"

"It's okay if you're not gonna tell me about the photo-booth thing," Kei said with a shrug. "It's just weird because... I thought we're the best of friends since forever. Isn't that what you said?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Forget it," Kei said. "I might be wrong anyway. I'm sorry." And with that she walked away, leaving Miyabi and Yui behind with worried faces.

Miyabi is the most upset of the two. "Kei..." she reached out her hand for her friend, but she's now too far away from her.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 4<strong> - The Secret's Already Out? Cure Butterscotch Appears!

* * *

><p>"Man, how am I gonna explain to Kei about this one..." Miyabi said to no one in particular as she walked home from school alone, her shoulders slumped while dragging her feet in the side gloomily. "Should I even tell her about my Precure activities? Ahhh, what should I do?!" she ruffled her own hair in exasperation, her hair bun almost coming undone.<p>

"_Just get home and we'll talk more about it, ~momo!_" Mocha said from her phone in her pocket. "_Make sure to bring some takoyaki home while you're at it too, ~momo!_"

"I already passed the takoyaki shop, Mocha! You should've called earlier! And besides I am in huuuuuuge trouble now!" Miyabi whined. She glanced up and didn't realize that she just stopped right in front of Heart-shaped Hearts. Might as well. She entered the shop and was greeted by her own mom from behind the counter.

"Hm? What's wrong dear?" Ayame Ouka had never seen her daughter this glum before. Except that one time her favorite TV chef came by the shop to talk to her parents and she missed out on it because of school.

"I had a fight with Kei..." Miyabi said glumly, pulling up a chair and sitting down on it with a big sigh. "She thought I was hiding something from her." Business in the shop is a bit slow today, but Miyabi liked this atmosphere a lot better compared to some days when it'd be busy as heck.

"Kei-chan? You mean Chinatsu Kei-chan?" Ayame walked over to her daughter and placed a strawberry parfait in front of her on the table. "So you two already met? How nice!"

Miyabi sighed again. "Didn't you hear what I just said, mom? We had a fight."

"I know, I know," Ayame said, placing her hand on Miyabi's shoulder. "Well you better make up with her, because I invited her and her sister over for dinner tonight!"

"What?!" Miyabi could not believe her ears and just buried her face on the table. "Moooooooom! How could you do this to me?"

"Well I didn't know you two had a fight!" Ayame said. "At least now you''ll have a chance to say you're sorry, right? What did you two fight about anyway?"

Miyabi froze. "U-Uh... I'd rather not say.." And with that she grabbed her parfait and ran out the back door of the shop. Ayame scratched her head and said, "What a weird girl... She obviously took after her father."

* * *

><p>Miyabi slammed the bedroom door shut behind her and leaned her back against it, panting. "How could this happen to me..." she said to herself.<p>

"Welcome back, ~momo!" Mocha said, hopping off the windowsill and approaching the pink-haired girl happily. "Oooh, is that parfait for me, ~momo? Well don't mind if I do-"

"Hold up a sec!" Miyabi said with a frown. "Don't you realize that I'm having an awful day today?" She placed the parfait on the nighttable and collapsed on the bed lifelessly. "This isn't faiiir..."

"You can tell me all about it, ~momo!" Mocha said, climbing up her bed and grabbing the parfait for himself. "I'm all ears!"

And so Miyabi told the bear everything that happened. From Kei's appearance, to the cooking contest, to the sudden attack of a Kigiki, and to Kei finding out Cure Taffy's identity. By the time she finished, Mocha had already finished one-half of the parfait and was currently nibbling on a strawberry.

"...And it was so upsetting because we've been friends even when we're apart for so long!" Miyabi continued. "So! Should I tell her or-"

"Are you joking, ~momo?!" Mocha piped up. "Your Precure duties should stay a secret, ~momo! You don't want your friend to be in danger, right? The Bittersweet might come for her next if you're not careful!"

"I know, but-"

"Not buts, ~momo!" Mocha's expression softened. "I know you're worried about your friend and all but... you have to understand. You're doing this for the good of the universe, after all! Not just her!"

Miyabi sighed. "All right. I understand."

"Now cheer up, ~momo!" Mocha said. "I can already smell the sukiyaki that your dad's cooking for tonight's dinner right now, ~momo!"

Miyabi sweatdropped. "You can smell that... from a mile away..?"

* * *

><p>Sorrel needed to get out of this place. If he hears that brat's irritating gloating laughter again he's gonna lose it. He didn't even understand WHY he was brought back to the Anzentou after he set a Kigiki loose in that school campus.<p>

"I do not need you to interfere with Vanilla's work," Vanilla had said. "She may have failed the last time but I'd like to give her another chance. It wouldn't be fair to her now, would it?"

Sorrel resisted the urge to roll his eyes right then and there. Vanilla can be ruthless, and yet she still has that heart of gold underneath it all.

_No wonder the royal family was shocked when she decided to turn against them at that time..._

"Don't do it," a voice said. Sorrel turned around and saw the androgynous girl (boy?) in pajamas staring up at him. "Are you trying to test Vanilla-sama's patience? If you keep on doing this, she'll-"

"I just want to show the brat how to get things done," Sorrel said. "And I was almost successful if only she hadn't showed up."

"Never thought you'd go this far just to teach Anise a thing or two," Thyme yawned. "Be careful or else you'll fall for her."

"Me? Fall for her? Don't make me laugh," Sorrel said, staring incredulously at them. "What do you know about love anyway? I thought you don't know anything about emotions in general."

Thyme merely blinked. "Just don't get in Vanilla-sama's way again." And with that they're off, dragging their feet on the cold marble floor.

Sorrel huffed. "I guess I have no choice but to bring the brat with me," he said with a grin.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the front door.<p>

"Oh, I think those are our guests!" Satoru said, setting the steaming bowl of sukiyaki on the dining table. "Rumi, could you please?"

"I'm on it!" Rumi bounded for the door and opened it, beaming at the sight of the Chinatsu twins. "Long time no see, you guys!"

"Rumi-chan! It's nice to see you after all these years!" Meiko Chinatsu picked up the little girl and hugged her ever so tightly. She and Kei both have the same dark-blond hair and hazel eyes, but hers is longer, tied up in a low ponytail. "How? Have you been studying well?"

"Yep! I'm gonna be the top of my class real soon!" Rumi said cheerfully.

"Are you plannin' to turn her into a nerd, Meiko?" Kei said. "She's only ten, don't pressure her so much."

"I am not pressuring her! And at least she's making an effort on her academics unlike you," Meiko retorted, and then reached for Kei's ear and tugged on it. "So DON'T slack off again like back in America, all right?"

"Ow-ow-ow! Quit it!" Kei pulled herself out from Meiko's grasp and rubbed her ear tenderly. "Man I hate it when you do that."

Meiko grinned cheekily. "So! Where's Miya-chan?" she asked Rumi.

"She locked herself in her room, as usual," Rumi said. "Come to think of it, she's been doing that for a while now. Think it's some weird teenager thing."

Kei frowned.

"It's not some weird teenager thing, Rumi!" Miyabi called out, finally descending down the stairs, but completely stopped upon seeing Kei's stony expression. "H-H-Hi! It's been a long time, huh?" _Crap crap crap! Kei's still not over it!_

"Yes it is, Miya-chan!" Meiko said. "We really missed you guys! So how did you react to Kei's-"

"Man I'm hungry!" Kei blurted out, rubbing her stomach. "Is dinner ready? I can already smell Ouka-san's famous sukiyaki!"

"Right this way, Kei-neechan!" Rumi said, leading the taller twin away.

Miyabi sighed. _This isn't good at all..._

"Miya-chan, did you and Kei fight again?" Meiko asked.

"Eh? N-no! Not at all! Ahaha!" Miyabi tried to laugh it off, but it's futile. The Chinatsu twins are pretty perceptive. Thankfully Meiko gave her an understanding smile and walked off into the dining room. But that didn't make things even better.

"Let's just get this over with..." Miyabi said with the deepest sigh of all.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogle curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the food!" the Ouka family and the Chinatsu twins chanted together. Then they began reaching into the sukiyaki bowl and taking out their choice of meat and vegetables.<p>

"Oh wow, this is so _good_!" Kei said in between bites, shoveling more rice into her mouth. "I could eat this forever, Ouka-san!"

Satoru laughed heartily. "Now that's what I wanted to hear! Eat all you want, Kei-chan!"

"Kei, mind your manners! We're not in our house!" Meiko said.

"No no! It's okay, Meiko-chan!" Ayame said. "You two are part of the family so please eat up!"

"Yeah and you better do it fast," Rumi chimed in, "because Kei-neechan seems to have competition." She stared pointedly at Miyabi, who's just as hungry as the blond. Miyabi's eating just as ravenously as her best friend, and the rest of the family and Kei could only stare at them.

Miyabi stopped mid-bite and looked at Kei, who's staring back at her. There was suddenly electricity in the air, and one could imagine pink and yellow auras blazing up in them. They both look at the last piece of beef in the sukiyaki bowl.

They were silent for a while, and then they both swallowed. Then Kei said, "If I get that last piece of meat, you're going to tell me everything."

Miyabi's heart skipped a beat, but paid it no mind. Kei's competitive spirit is contagious and she's grinning in response, happy that at the moment they're friends again. "And if I do, you'll have to lay it off!" she said.

"All right! You ready?!"

"I'm always ready!"

"Girls, no yelling at the table!" Ayame said.

"Calm down dear, it's always been like this, remember?" Satoru chuckled.

"What are you two talking about?" Meiko wondered, staring at the girls.

"Go get 'em, Kei-neechan!" Rumi cheered, pumping her chopsticks up in the air.

"Why are you cheering for the enemy, Rumi?!" Miyabi turned to glare at her sister -

And Kei somehow got the last piece of beef while Miyabi wasn't looking. She chewed noisily, relishing the savory flavor. "Mmm! Oh man, this is so good!" she said.

Miyabi froze, dropping her chopsticks. "M-M-My... My..." she stammered.

"So what's the score so far, dear?" Ayame asked her husband casually.

"I think it was a 7-11, with Kei-chan leading the way," Satoru nodded. "Miyabi's appetite may be a force to be reckoned with, but Kei-chan's always trumped her in things like these."

"I guess nothing has changed after all these years," Meiko said with a giggle.

"Nice going, sis..." Rumi said, stifling her giggles as well.

Miyabi was shaking, her hands growing cold. She has to keep her word. And even if she tried to lie her way out of this, Kei's gonna figure it out anyway. She may slack a lot, but she's far from dumb. And Kei would absolutely hate her if she did lie about this.

"This... r-really isn't my day.." she said to herself.

* * *

><p><em>"Are you crazy, ~momo?!" Mocha had exclaimed once Miyabi told her about the bet earlier at dinner. "You can't tell her about Precure! You just can't!"<em>

* * *

><p>Miyabi found a piece of folded paper in her locker after school. <em>Meet me in Maizono Park at around 4pm. <em>

She's never felt so down like before. Sure she had her moments back then, but right now she was so divided about telling her best friend the truth or keeping her in the dark for the sake of her safety. It's tearing her apart. Kei chose to ignore her today too, which was even worse. She kept on looking at Kei in class, but she never looked in her way. Not even once. And that broke her heart.

She closed her locker and walked out of the building. Her stomach was twisting around in nervousness. She's feeling kindof light-headed too, but that's probably because she didn't finish her bento today. She had completely lost her appetite_._

* * *

><p><em>"I can't just leave her completely in the dark, Mocha!" Miyabi had said. "You don't know Kei. If she has a hunch, she'll stop at nothing to prove it. If I don't tell her soon, she's gonna assume that I'm lying to her! And... I don't want to rely on her help all the time. People may think that Kei relies on me all the time but the truth is it's the other way around." She smiled wistfully. "Kei always has my back in everything. She saved me from making stupid ideas, and I totally appreciate that. But-"<br>_

_"I know it's hard, ~momo," Mocha had said, "But it'll even harder when she finds out! What if she'll be targeted by the Bittersweet, ~momo? She'll be in grave danger!" _

_"Once again, you don't know Kei," Miyabi said. "She's strong. A lot stronger than me. I think she can handle a magic monster or two."_

_Mocha had sighed in defeat. "Your choice then, ~momo. But don't come crying to me if that backfired, ~momo!"_

* * *

><p>Maizono Park was just a few blocks away from Amatoshima Middle School. Miyabi knew exactly where to meet her - by the abandoned playground. A newer playground was built a few years ago but the older one was still standing, rotting away in the far corner of the park. Just beyond the cherry-tree groves. She, Kei, and Syuusuke used to play there for a whole day, never getting tired.<p>

Miyabi's heart is racing. _Should I tell her? What if Mocha was right? What if I'm just putting her in danger if I told her?__ I'll never forgive myself if the bad guys get to her-  
><em>

"Hey."

Miyabi flicked her head up at the direction of that. Kei was up the jungle gym, sipping on a juice pack. "Thought you're never gonna come," Kei said wryly, tossing her empty juice box away.

"Even if I didn't come, you're just gonna yell at me through the phone later anyway," Miyabi said. _Why didn't she just text me to get here instead of leaving a letter in my locker? Kei can be so needlessly dramatic sometimes,_ she thought with an inward sigh.

"Heh, true." Kei jumped down from the bars neatly and walked up to her pink-haired friend. "By coming here, this just means that you ARE hiding something from me."

Miyabi stayed silent, looking down at her own feet.

"So are you really that photobooth, Cure Taffy?" Kei asked. "Come on, Miyabi. I'm not gonna be mad or anything. I just thought that... I just thought that we'd tell each other everything, y'know? We're best friends, after all."

A gust of wind blew through the playground. The trees were swaying and the leaves rustled insistently. Miyabi felt like crying. She still hadn't figured out what to answer Mocha's question last night. _Am I going to risk her life for this? __Am I going to put her in danger again, just like yesterday?! Am I going to-_

"Booooooooring! This is utterly boring!" a familiar voice whined from the cherry-tree groves. Anise walked out from behind one of the trees, yawning hugely. "Sorrel, why did you bring me here again? Are you going to show off to these girls, because it looks like they're having some sort of drama thing going on."

Sorrel jumped down from the tree. "I am NOT showing off, I am just going to show you HOW this is done!"

"Wait! A-Aren't you those people who attacked our school yesterday?!" Kei gasped.

"Who else could it be?" Sorrel said. He looked at Kei for a moment, then grinned deviously. "Ah yes, your Sugar Heart should do it." He took out one playing card and threw it at Kei's empty juice box on the ground. "Kigiki, come forth!" he yelled, forming a Kigiki out of that juice box. "_Kiiiiii!_" it yelled.

Miyabi froze in shock. _Her... Sugar Heart? Don't tell me they're going to- _"NO! I won't let you! I'll never let you put your grubby hands on her!" she shouted.

"Who are you calling 'grubby'?!" Anise said, clearly offended.

"Miyabi?" Kei stared at her. "What's gotten into you? Who are these people? And that monster-"

Miyabi glared at the two Bittersweet members. "If you want to get to her- " she fished out her phone, her thumb already positioned on the Precure App, "- you have to get through me first! _Pretty Cure Sweet Shining!"_

Kei shielded her eyes as Miyabi got enveloped in a bright pink light. And when it faded away, she was staring at a pink-clad girl with excessive frills and realized, "Y-You're... you're-!"

"_The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!_" Miyabi - now Cure Taffy - said.

"Cure... Taffy.." Kei slowly ba

cked away. "I was right..."

"_Precure Taffy Kick!_" Miyabi charged at the Kigiki, leaped into the air, and dove leg-first for monster's middle, but the Kigiki was quick and grabbed Miyabi by the leg and held her upside-down. "Huh? H-hey, let me go you stupid thing!" Miyabi yelled, pounding her fists on its gigantic hand.

"_Kiiii! Giiki!_" the Kigiki cheered, jumping happily. Miyabi looked like she was gonna hurl. "Eughh.. this isn't going my way at all..." she said dazedly.

"Hah! I told you my Kigiki is top-notch!" Sorrel told Anise, who just rolled her eyes in response.

"Hey! Let my friend go!" Kei shouted, now brandishing a fallen branch that she got from somewhere. She ran towards the Kigiki, yelling all the way, and began hitting the Kigiki's leg with said stick. "LET - HER - GO - YOU -"

"Kei, no! Run away!" Cure Taffy cried. "You'll only get hurt! Please! You need to get-"

"I am NOT leaving you alone ever again, y'hear me?!" Kei roared. "It's about time you get this through your head so listen up! It's not bad to rely on others!"

Taffy's eyes widened. "Wh-What are you-"

"It's not bad to rely on anyone, Miyabi!" Kei went on. "I want to help you too! You don't have to do this alone!"

"Ooooohohoho!" Anise cackled. "I have to admit, Sorrel, this Kigiki of yours is well-made! You can get that girl's Sugar Heart now!"

"Kigiki!" Sorrel shouted, "Go ahead and stomp on that meddling brat. Her whining is getting on my nerves."

"No! Nononono!" Taffy was livid. She cupped her hands together, summoning up every bit of energy she has for a Taffy Storm, but she was so scared that nothing came out of her palms. "_Taffy... T-Taffy Storm... _I c-can't...!"

The Kigiki lifted its leg and hovered it above Kei, who never stopped striking its other leg with the branch. "I am not... running away," Kei said, panting, "You n-need me and I need you... You know w-why? Because.. we're-"

"_**KEI!**_"

"_WE'RE BEST FRIENDS, OKAY?!_"

It's as if everything happened in slow motion. A blinding yellow light burst forth from Kei's chest, startling the Kigiki and sent it flying away, releasing Taffy from its grasp in the process. The two Bittersweet members were also taken aback as they covered their eyes.

Inside the plane of bright light, Kei was hovering in midair. A golden Sugar Heart came out from her chest and twirled around her. Her cellphone also flew out from her skirt pocket, and the Sugar Heart entered its screen. "What's... happening?" she said.

"Ah so you're the second one huh, ~momo?" Mocha appeared in the phone's screen, nodding his head. "Well this is to be expected; some girls have a higher chance of become a Precure when their relationship with a current Cure is high enough. But this is quite a surprise, ~momo!"

"What? I'm a photobooth?" Kei asked quizzically.

"_Precure_, ~momo!" Mocha corrected her. "Now come on! You want to save your friend, right? Just swipe your finger on the screen and say, _Pretty Cure Sweet Shining_! You'll figure out the rest after that!"

"I... I still don't know what's going on..." Kei said, hesitant, "But I'll try!" Grabbing her phone, she swiped her finger across the screen and called out, "_Pretty Cure Sweet Shining!_"

Kei closed her eyes spun around while holding her phone, emitting yellow bubbles as she did. Her school uniformed disappeared and was replaced with a short dress with different shades of gold orange. Bubbles formed up around her forearms and popped to reveal round detached sleeves. She placed her hands on her collarbone and a ribbon with a heart-shaped gem appeared there. Tapping her feet together produces ankle-length booths with thigh-high socks. And lastly, she whipped her hair back and forth, making her light-blond hair grow in volume.

She opened her eyes, now a bright shade of yellow, and landed on the floor in a backflip. "_The mellow taste of summer, Cure Butterscotch!_" she said, then struck a pose. She's back in the park, with Taffy gaping at her and the Bittersweet stared at her with wide eyes.

"Kei..." Taffy started. "You're a Precure...?"

Cure Butterscotch twirled around, this time looking at her weird getup. "I can't believe I'm a photobooth! Just like you!" she exclaimed.

Taffy sweatdropped. "_Precure_! It's Precure!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Butterscotch was grinning, electricity running through her veins. She felt ten times - no, a HUNDRED times stronger! "Hiyaaaaa!" She ran towards the Kigiki, which was still dazed from the bright light that triggered the transformation, and delivered a "_Precure Butter Punch!_", uppercutting the monster up to the sky.

"_Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii!_"

"She has THAT much power?!" Anise said. Sorrel could only stare at his monstrous creation in utter disbelief, his mouth gaping.

Taffy jumped up high into the air, feeling light as a feather, and with a Taffy Kick she brought the helpless, screaming Kigiki back to the ground, ready for purification. "Butterscotch, you're up!" she yelled.

Butterscotch nodded. "All right! _Precure..."_ She raised her hand up and snapped once, and a big bunch of gold bubbles appeared around her. "_...Butter Storm!_" She pointed at the Kigiki, and the bubbles rushed after it, totally surrounding the monster until it formed one huge bubble around it. "_Kigikiiiiiiii~_" it cried out until it vanished, turning back into an empty juice box once more.

Taffy landed onto the ground, next to Butterscotch. "You did it!"

From the shadows of the trees, Sorrel stared at the two Precure contemptuously before vanishing out of sight. Anise giggled at her partner's incompetence before flying off on her broomstick as well.

"Yeah... I did, huh?" Butterscotch smiled weakly, then collapsing onto the ground.

"Kei!" Taffy turned back into her normal self, her cellphone falling onto the ground too as Miyabi rushed to her friend's aid; Butterscotch also went back to normal as Kei. "Kei, stay strong! Kei!" Miyabi held her close and began sobbing.

"Stop... crying, you baby," Kei said, her voice wavering as well. "You always cry at a drop of a hat, huh? I guess you never changed."

"You... You idiot.." Miyabi sniveled. "I'm s-sorry for not t-telling you sooner..."

"Nah it's cool, I understood why you kept that secret," Kei said casually. "But Miyabi... even if it's something as unbelievable as this, you still have to tell me! I'll understand!"

"B-But I don't want to p-put you in danger!" Miyabi wept. "You almost g-got stomped but that stupid Kigiki!"

"I know, I know," Kei chucked a bit. "That was pretty reckless of me, huh? I guess we're both stupid."

Miyabi smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I guess.. I guess we're two halves of a whole idiot, huh?"

Kei made a noise that was both a giggle and a snort as she attempted to sit up. "Yep, that's basically it." She turned to her. "Listen. From now on, don't be scared of relying on me, okay?"

Miyabi sighed. "Yeah, I promise. I'm just frustrated about how you always save me from stuff while I don't return the favor."

"What are you talking about? You always look out for me! You've always been, even while we were apart for so long!" Kei grinned. "And now that we're both photobooths, you have no choice but to rely on me even more!"

Miyabi rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Teamwork and all that." She stood up and dusted her uniform. "So... Partner?" she extended her hand at her.

Kei grinned back at her. "Yeah! For life!" she took her hand and helped herself up.

* * *

><p>Thyme didn't even bother confronting those two. Sorrel and Anise both didn't say a word ever since they got back in the Anzentou. Obviously, they lost.<p>

They curled up on the chintz armchair in deep thought. The Precure... are they really that strong? Maybe someday they'll test out their abilities on them. All in due time, of course. No need to rush, like those two imbeciles.

They thought about Vanilla. Her niceness began to show through her toughened exterior earlier, when she let Anise and Sorrel do whatever they wish. What was that about? Was Vanilla finally going soft?

Thyme bit their lower lip. This is not good at all.

_Not good_.

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 <strong>- Dream Of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<br>**Kei**: I still don't get this photobooth business...  
><strong>Miyabi<strong>: It's _Precure_! Not photobooth! P-R-E-C-U-R-E!  
><strong>Kei<strong>: Yeah yeah, whatever. So do we even know what we're fighting for?  
><strong>Mocha<strong>: I guess now's the best time to tell you everything...  
><strong>Kei<strong>: D-Did that bear just talk?  
><strong>Miyabi<strong>: Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight - **Sugarland in Trouble? Mocha's Story!  
>Kei: <strong>That bear really does talk...


	5. 5: Sugarland in Trouble?

It has been a long time since Vanilla came out of the tower again.

She's sitting on the barren cliff overlooking a leafless forest, breathing in the empty air. She never told any of her cohorts that she's been spending her time outside the tower because... well, why would they care? She's their leader, after all. She can go anywhere she wants.

She heard a rustle from a bush behind her and sighed. Of course _they'd _know she's here. "Come out, Thyme," she said without turning around.

The pajama-clad person popped out of the bush and nonchalantly picked off some leaves from their hair. "I knew you'd find you in here, Vanilla-sama," they said.

Vanilla only shrugged. "And what's wrong with that? As your leader, aren't I allowed to go anywhere I please?"

"You never really went out of the tower until recently, Vanilla-sama," Thyme said. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Yes, and it's _those two_," Vanilla said with spite. She had heard that another Precure has been awakened, and Anise and Sorrel had failed in their mission yet again. If this keeps up, they'll waste more Tainted Hearts from creating more Kigiki. They were just puny children with powers. I thought I can trust them."

"Or maybe those Precure are just too strong?" Thyme said matter-of-factly.

"Impossible. It's... impossible." Vanilla's hands curled into fists, and Thyme quirked a brow. Their leader's getting emotional again. This is very odd indeed. Vanilla sighed again, then turned around to face them. "I'm going to give them more chances."

Thyme blinked curiously. "You're... giving them another chance? Why?"

There was a long silence between them, and Vanilla started walking back to the tower, leaving the sleepy individual alone. Thyme stared after her. _She's getting soft...  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1 <strong>- Sweet Start! Precure  
><strong>Episode 5<strong> - Sugarland in Trouble? Mocha's Story!

* * *

><p>"Come on, come on..." Cure Butterscotch fumbled with the glass door lock on the balcony of the tenth-floor apartment that she shared with Meiko. It was a clear night, with the moon up and about. "This is such a pain... why did they make another Kigiki in the middle of the night anyway?!" she muttered to herself, almost dropping the keys. She finally heard a click, and did a little fistpump as she slides the door open as quietly as she could. She tiptoed her way in and-<p>

"OW!" She stubbed her toe on something sharp and fell headfirst on the carpeted floor. "Oof! Ow..." she groaned. _Crap! The noise -_

"Who's there?" The lights flashed on, and Meiko Chinatsu hurried to the living room in her orange pajamas. "...Kei?"

Kei, now detransformed, was face-flat on the floor, twitching a bit from the pain. "M-Meiko..." she stammered. "It hurts..."

Meiko sighed, helping her twin sister up. "Turn on the lights when you're creeping off for midnight snacks next time," she said. "Why are you still up anyway?"

Kei laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "I... was studying! Yeah, studying. There's this English test tomorrow and I'm just brushing up on my adjectives!"

Meiko squinted at her in suspicion, moving her face closer to Kei's. She then sighed and leaned back again. "Never thought you'd be taking school seriously now... Anyways, did you hear that racket outside around thirty minutes ago?"

Kei froze. "I uh... no! None at all! Think I was out like a light at the time. Why?" she asked nervously. _Oh man she must've heard the Kigiki back then! _

"It was so noisy... I heard screaming and everything," Meiko said, yawning. "Ah well, maybe I was just hearing things. I'm going back to bed. Night!" She walked back to her bedroom, stretching her arms.

Once Kei heard the door slam, she exhaled in relief. "Well that was a close one," she muttered. Letting out an enormous yawn, she went into her room for some shut-eye.

But not before remembering that she DOES have an English test tomorrow. "Oh... yeah. The English test _is _tomorrow! Guess I'm not really lying about that one!" Kei stared at her textbooks all scattered on her bed, turning on the nearby lamp while she's at it. "But man I'm so exhausted! I'll just... take a little.. nap..." She closed her eyes and rested her head on her open English text book, and was soon sound asleep.

* * *

><p>Her eyes fluttered open as light streamed through the open window. Sitting up, she stretched up her arms and got out of bed, still half-asleep. "Ahh~ That's one good nap! Now I can continue studyi-" She took a peek at the bedside clock with one eye.<p>

Six forty-five AM.

"_Oh my god__!_" she exclaimed, picking up the clock and shaking it as if it was broken, her eyes darting to the stack of books on her bed. "I overslept! I'm gonna be late!"

She then rushed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, took a ten-minute shower, dashed back into her room to put on her uniform and black tights, then into the kitchen where she saw a note at the table. Opening it, Kei skimmed through Meiko's neat handwriting. _Figured you'd wake up late again, so I heated up some instant ramen for you. - Meiko_

"Then why didn't she just wake me up earlier?!" Kei fumed, tossing the note aside. Seeing the plastic cup of instant pork ramen on the counter with chopsticks on top, she quickly grabbed it, slung her school bag over her shoulder with one hand, and slammed the door shut then ran for the elevator, trying not to spill her ramen. At least it isn't boiling hot, but it isn't too cold either. Just right.

Some people stared at this girl with wispy hair shoveling noodles into her mouth, but Kei paid them no mind at all as she half-walked, half-ran along the scenic sidewalk that overlooks the seashore. She has done this hundreds of times back at America, and she's somewhat glad that that didn't change when she got back here in Amatoshima. She was worried that she might abandon her old habits, but in the end she's still the same old, same old.

And that's totally for the best!

"Oh hey, it's Yui!" Kei gulped down her ramen and ran towards Yui, who's nose-deep in her book once again. "Oi! Yui!"

Yui's face darted up and saw Kei enthusiastically slurping her instant ramen. That's... interesting. "Chinatsu-san... good morning," she said, watching Kei run in place while slurping up the noodles noisily.

"You aren't in a hurry? Why aren't you in a hurry?" Kei said, her voice muffled as she chugged down the rest of the soup. "Don't you know we got only like... ten minutes before the morning bell rings?"

Yui's eyes shifted from Kei's face to the empty ramen cup on her hand. "...Really?" she said blankly.

"You really don't know? Come on!" Kei then grabbed Yui's wrists with one hand and shot the empty plastic cup into the nearby trash bin, and ran for it.

"H-Hey! Chinatsu-san, wait up!" Yui yelled, clutching the book she was reading close to her chest as she tried to catch up to Kei's fast pace. _Who knew that Chinatsu-san can run this fast,_ she thought.

"There it is, the school gates!" Kei called out, sprinting there at the speed of light, as if her life depended on it. It was a miracle that Yui was able to keep up with her -

**_RING!_**

"_SAFE!_" Kei shouted, thrusting both hands up high, causing everyone who just walked into the gate to stare at them. Yui bent down and caught her breath, her glasses all tilted from running.

"Whew! We totally made it, Yui!" Kei cheered.

"Not... really," Yui said, stashing her glasses away in its case. "We still have to get to homeroom..."

Kei's grin completely disappeared and was replaced by a look of distress. "_Oh no! _We have to get going-"

* * *

><p>"We're sorry we're late, Anami-sensei!" Kei said, bowing down before their youthful teacher. She saw Yui not bowing to her and nudged her to do the same.<p>

"Honestly Chinatsu, this is the second time you're late to homeroom," Anami-sensei said, rubbing her temple. "Now I know you just got back from America and you might not be used to Japanese time, but that isn't an excuse for tardiness!"

"I'm sorry! I promise not to do it again, sensei!" Kei said a little bit loudly. Yui bowed down just now and barely whispered an apology, but Anami-sensei seemed to have caught that.

"Fine fine, I'll let you two in," Anami-sensei said. "But you absolutely CANNOT be late anymore. Understand?"

"Yes!" Kei and Yui said together, straightening up and running to their respective seats.

Miyabi was staring at her childhood friend this whole time, her eyes also heavy with exhaustion but at least she's somewhat awake. And was able to be punctual. "Kei! You were late again!"

"Nice observation skills you got there, _Sherlock_, " she said sarcastically, slumping her head on the desk. "I'm so tired..." she whined.

"What time did you come home last night?"

"Think it was around 2 am. Not sure." Kei yawned hugely, looking around the classroom. Anami-sensei has already started lecturing about clubs and whatnot, while Yui kept on reading her book under the desk so as not to get caught. "Hey... I'm curious."

"Hm?"

"Did you bring Mocha with you? Need to ask him something."

Miyabi quirked a brow. "No, he doesn't like school and all that. Which is a darn shame because who _doesn't love school -_"

Kei shot her a look.

"Oh. But still though! Why do you ask anyway?" Miyabi said.

"I need to know about us. About the Precure. About the stuff that we're fighting for and the legions of evil that keeps on summoning those monsters at night," Kei said. "I just wanna know more about the bad side, okay? And why we're chosen and all that."

"You... do have a point." Miyabi rested her head on her palm. "I didn't bother asking him about that further because I thought he'd explain everything to me perfectly the first time we met!"

"Oh yeah? What did he say?"

"He said that -"

"Ouka! Chinatsu!" Anami-sensei barked at them, causing the two to perk up in surprise and the whole class, including Yui, to stare at them. "Were you two even paying attention? Chinatsu, you were already late this morning, don't make me change my mind about that warning!"

"S-sorry, sensei!" Kei said. "We'll talk about this later during break," she whispered to Miyabi before paying attention to Anami-sensei's lectures again.

Miyabi nodded, then fished her hand into her skirt pocket and gripped the phone tightly. _Mocha..._

* * *

><p>"Let's eat!" the two of them sang, clapping their hands together before digging into their bento. Once again they're seated at the rooftop, within the shade.<p>

"Ahhh, your chicken teriyaki is ALWAYS the best, Miyabi!" Kei said, snatching a piece straight from Miyabi's bento with her chopsticks and biting into it. "I can't believe you got up early just to make these!"

"Well of course! Even if I have to balance a normal high school life and being a Precure, I still have the energy to make my own lunch!" Miyabi said proudly, scooping more rice into her mouth and slapping Kei's sneaky chopstick away. "Hey, you got your own lunch there! YOU eat that! Didn't Meiko make that tempura for you? Her recipe's pretty good."

"Yeah I know but - Never mind about that! We gotta ask Mocha about this Precure thing!"

"Oh yeah!" Miyabi took out her phone from her pocket. "We can actually reach him through the Precure App!" She selected the app with the Precure emblem, and Mocha's face appeared on the screen.

"_Hello, ~momo!_" the bear fairy greeted, waving his paws at the two girls. "_What seems to be the proble- Oooh, you got bentos! Did Miyabi actually get up and make chicken teriyaki for? Can I have some pleas-_"

"Mocha! I got something to ask you!" Kei cut in. "Could you please elaborate more on this Precure business? I became one for around a week now and I still don't understand what we're fighting for!"

"_Didn't I tell you about that a few days ago?_" Mocha said. "_And I think I said the same thing to Miyabi the first time we met! Remember?_"

"You just said that you needed to protect the Candy Box from these evil people called the Bittersweet," Miyabi said, thoughtfully chewing on her food. "You also explained about the Sugar Hearts and the Tainted Hearts. And... that's pretty much it," she shrugged. "Oh, and about Cure Cinnamon too!"

"Cure Cinnamon?" Kei piped in. "You mean the secret heroine that you keep gushing on and on seven years ago? She's related to this!"

"Seems like it!" Miyabi said. "Now come on Mocha! Explain everything! You said that you'd tell everything when I get a partner and... here she is!"

Mocha stayed silent for a moment, looking very solemn. Then he said, "._..All right. I guess there's no use hiding it, ~momo_."

"Hiding it? What are you saying?" Kei said.

"_About Cure Cinnamon, it was... it was my own fault, ~momo,_" Mocha said gravely.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogle curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>"What..." Miyabi was taken aback.<p>

"What did you just say?!" Kei exclaimed. "What do you mean it's your fault! Don't be vague about this!"

"_It's just... I was so scared, ~momo,_" Mocha said, his beady eyes welling with tears. "_It all happened so fast, with the invasion, and the -_"

"Okay okay, hold up a sec," Miyabi said, trying to compose herself. It seemed that Mocha was dreading for this day, when they're gonna ask him about what really happened back at Sugarland. He's been carrying this awful feeling of guilt for a long time, and it made her feel so sorry for the poor bear. "All right. Just calm down for a sec."

"Yeah man, we're not angry or anything," Kei said, leaning her back against the wall. "How about we start at the beginning, okay? How it all started."

She could hear Mocha sniff through the phone. "_A-All right, ~momo. I'll tell... everything._" He forced a huge smile but that didn't help his mood at all. "_It... It all started in the Sugarland castle, and there was a huge celebration, ~momo. I think it was Princess Cinnamon's birthday..._"

* * *

><p><em>It was nightfall, and the party at the Sugarland castle was still going strong. Almost every inhabitant in the kingdom were invited, and they were all dressed in their finest outfits. Juices and other beverages flowed freely, the food was absolutely delectable, and everyone was having a time of their life. The castle was also decorated tastefully, with bright lighting, lively music, and the best decorations have been laid out, as expected from the royal family.<em>

_The only one who wasn't having fun, though, was the birthday girl herself._

_Seven-year-old Princess Cinnamon sat at the very corner of the room, just wallflowering, being thankful that nobody spotted her from sneaking out of her seat. Her flaming red hair and matching party dress would've made her stand out from the rest, but the lights were dimmed for the hourly disco, dark enough that she wouldn't be spotted. Sipping on her apple juice, she watched the guests have the best of fun, and wanly smiled to herself._

_"Princess!" Just the very mention of her title made her spine run cold._

_"Shh! Keep quiet, Mocha!" she hissed at the teddy bear dressed up in a tux. "I'm trying to blend in."_

_"Heh, not with that outfit, ~momo," Mocha pointed out. _

_The princess pouted. "My mom made this, okay? And she made me wear it for today."_

_"Sometimes I have to question your mother's sense of fashion, ~momo," Mocha said with a sigh. "It makes you look as if you've been set on fire or something!" He quickly realized whom he was talking to and quickly took it back. "N-No offense, your Highness. I'm truly sorry, ~momo."_

_"No no, it's okay," Cinnamon said with a smile. "It does kinda look like it, huh? My mom can be so lame."_

_"Her fashion sense may be a bit... out there, but she is ultimately a great ruler," Mocha said with pride. "Queen Chocolat has done so much for the kingdom, and she throws great parties too, I can give her that, ~momo!"_

_Cinnamon giggled. "Yeah, that's true. I'm not really a party person, but I really... appreciate this." She and Mocha watch the rest of the populace whooping it up in the dancefloor. The party has been going on for hours and there were no signs of stopping.  
><em>

_Until now._

_The enormous door blasted open with a thunderous BOOM!, sending some people flying. The music stopped playing and everyone stopped dancing and stared at the party-crashers: a silver-haired woman with an air of indifference, followed by a young girl in a witch costume, a man in a white tux, and an androgynous being in pajamas, all with white hair, waltzed into the castle, and the crowd separated as they made their way to the middle of the room.  
><em>

_"Where is Queen Chocolat?" the silver-haired woman bellowed out. Everyone trembled at their presence, but nobody spoke. One can hear a pin drop in here._

_"Who are you?" Cinnamon spoke, making everyone look at her. "I haven't seen you before."_

_"Hmph. Figures that she wouldn't tell you about me," the woman said coldly. "Answer me, child. Or should I say... Princess." She said that in a slurred tone. "Where is your mother? I need to see her."  
><em>

_"Tell me who you are first," Cinnamon demanded fearlessly._

_"Princess!" Mocha gasped right behind her. _

_"I do not want to speak to you, you brat," the woman said icily. "Tell me where your mother is, or I'll make you spit it out." She raised her hand and began charging up an orb of energy._

_Cinnamon stood her ground, staring her down (more like up, since she's still small after all), until -_

_"Vanilla!"_

_Everyone turned her eyes at the Queen, dressed in rich reds and browns to match her brown hair and eyes, who had just entered the scene. She marched right up to the woman in silver and carefully shoved Cinnamon out of the way. "Vanilla, I cannot believe you'd speak down to my own DAUGHTER like that! How could you?!"  
><em>

_"Oh please, what a drama queen," the woman called Vanilla said. "I'm just so offended that you never told Cinnamon anything about me. So now we're even."_

_"You are not invited to this party," Chocolat said with finality in her voice. "I thought I made that clear, but I never thought you had the audacity to come here anyway."_

_Vanilla merely stared. "All I wanted is for me to take back something that's rightfully mine. The Candy Box, where is it?"  
><em>

_"The Candy Box wasn't even yours to begin with!" Chocolat said, her voice going up an octave in anger. "What made you think it belongs to you?! It's for the kingdom! The Candy Box is used to replenish positive emotions and to power up this kingdom! What are you going to do with it anyway?"_

_"Hmm, well if I can't get that, then why not give me the throne instead?" Vanilla said with an odd deadpan voice._

_"Are you being serious right now?! Vanilla, you're not a child anymore. You can't have the kingdom just like that. It has already been decided that Cinnamon will take the throne after my reign. And you should know that." She moved closer to Vanilla. "You... You can't always have what you want."  
><em>

_"Mom, who is she?" Cinnamon asked, tugging on Chocolat's clothes._

_"I know that," Vanilla said. "I know I can't always have what I want."_

_"Good. So we agree on something then." Chocolat smiled._

_"So that's why... I'm taking it BY FORCE!" Vanilla yelled as she blasted a yellow ball of light at Cinnamon, and the whole castle broke into a state of pandemonium as everyone ran for it, but Vanilla's lackey started throwing magic blasts at everyone who's trying to get away.  
><em>

_"**Choco Barrier!**" Chocolat summoned a red barrier to shield her daughter in a speed of light, then yelled, "Mocha, take Cinnamon to safety. Promise me that she'll not be harmed. Go into the World Mirror room!"_

_"But mom -"_

_"Let's go, Princess!" Mocha yelled, grabbing the hem of Cinnamon's outfit and dragging her away from the ensuing chaos and up the stairs and into an empty hall. They kept on running and opening various doors, trying to find the World Mirror room, until they reached the end of the hall. They can still hear the noise from downstairs... _

__Cinnamon could not get rid of the hollow pit in the pit of the stomach even if she tried. _"Is that... the room?" she asked Mocha, pausing to take a breather._

_"Definitely, ~momo-"_

_"Look what I found~" someone said in a high-pitched singsong voice. The two turned around to see the witch girl with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face. "I'm not letting you get away that easily~ I have to kill you so that Vanilla-sama will take the throne for herself! Won't that be fun~?"  
><em>

_"G-Get away from me!" Cinnamon screamed, her back against the door, hand gripping the knob._

_"I'll take her on, Princess!" Mocha said, summoning a sword from midair. He grabbed the handle, and in a flash he transformed into a human male with light brown hair and eyes and wearing a suit armor. "Get in there! This'll be a piece of cake!" he told her._

_Cinnamon quickly dashed inside and locked the door. The room was painted in white and was wholly bare, save for the floating oval mirror in the middle. She remembered that her mother used to go to Earth and other dimensions using this. Was she supposed to escape? No, at least not yet. Her mother said that they'll meet here._

_If she ever survived._

_Just the the door slammed opened and Vanilla barged in, dragging the half-dead Mocha with him by the hair. "How pathetic. I've fought my share of guards and knights, but he's by far the weakest." She threw him to the floor and Cinnamon ran to his aid._

_"You... you **monster!**" Cinnamon yelled. "Why are you doing this?! This was my birthday! Everyone was supposed to be having fun, a-and... and yet-" Tears are dripping down her face. She held Mocha's injured head close to her and sobbed._

_"I'm not... dead yet.." Mocha said brokenly, struggling to get up. "I have to... p-protect the princess...! I won't let anyone harm her!"_

_"Mocha..."_

_"How inspiring," Vanilla said monotonously. "Too bad I have to end her life right here." She approached the two, her hand charging up another orb and-  
><em>

_"**CHOCO BLASTER!**"_

_A larger orb of red energy hit Vanilla and sent her flying across the room. Chocolat rushed in and quickly hugged her daughter. "Oh thank god you're okay!" she said with so much relief in her voice. "Here, before she wakes up-" Holding out her hands, she summoned the Candy Box and gave it to Mocha, who was just struggling to stand up._

_"The Mirror is already set for Earth," Chocolat told Mocha. "Take this Candy Box and flee to Earth, and never ever give it to them. I also need you to find the legendary warriors, the Precure. They are the only ones who can defeat Bittersweet now."  
><em>

_"Mom..." Cinnamon clutched her mother's hand tightly, choking back tears. She knew nothing about Earth - how are they gonna survive in the world beyond the mirror on their own? "Mom you HAVE to come with us! Let's escape together!"_

_Chocolat smiled sadly. "I have to protect this kingdom, my child. I'll be prepared just in case they come back. And they're looking for you. The most important thing right now is for you to be safe and sound."_

_"Safe and sound..." Cinnamon repeated. "But mom I... I'm not sure if-"_

_"You HAVE to be sure, Cinnamon," Chocolat assured. "I believe you can get through this. That WE can get through this. Here, take this." A crimson heart locket appeared in midair in a flash and landed on Chocolat's open palm. She handed it to Cinnamon and said, "This Candy Locket has been handed down from queen to queen, and now it's yours. It'll protect you and your loved ones from certain harm. Just wish for it, and it'll do the rest."_

_Cinnamon gripped the Locket in her trembling hands then gasped, pointing over Chocolat's shoulder. Vanilla was slowly gaining consciousness, struggling to get up from the rubble._

_"Quickly! Go! Mocha, take her!" Chocolat said, pushing the two of them towards the shimmering mirror._

_"Mom I-"_

_"There's no time, Princess! We have to go!" Mocha urged her, pulling her arm towards the mirror._

_Chocolat then leaned forward and kissed her daughter on her forehead. "I love you, Cinnamon. No matter what, please stay safe." She then mustered up enough strength to push both of them into the mirror, and the last thing Cinnamon saw before falling into the swirling abyss was the revived Vanilla holding Chocolat in a chokehold from behind._

_"**MOOOOOOOOM!**"_

_Mocha held her tightly as they fell further, trying to console her. Falling into the mirror was like going deeper underwater, but they can somehow breathe. And the current just keeps on getting stronger -_

_"Princess! Don't let go of my hand! We can do this!" Mocha yelled._

_"Mom... I want to... see my mother..." Cinnamon wept. "I don't know if I can d-do this..."_

_"I know you can, Princess!" Mocha said. "You're your mother's daughter after all- AH!" The current suddenly turned for the worse, and the ride's getting bumpier every minute. They tumbled through, trying to hold on to each other tightly, but they're slowly losing grip -_

_"No! Princess!" Mocha had suddenly let go of Cinnamon's hand, and Cinnamon tried to reach out and grab him, but they're too far from each other, and now Cinnamon descended further down before vanishing in a flash, her face of pure fear the last thing that Mocha saw._

_"**PRINCESS!**"_

* * *

><p>"<em>...I never saw her again after that, ~momo,<em>" Mocha said, his face already streaked with tears while he recounted his tale. "_When I came to, Miyabi had already found me_."

Kei and Miyabi sat there, looking very pensive over their empty bento boxes. It's a tragic story indeed, what with the Bittersweet's invasion that happened on Cinnamon's birthday, no less.

"Well then, we'll just have to find her, right?" Kei piped up.

"_E-Eh?_" Mocha said, taken quite aback. "_Of course! That was the whole point,~momo! Weren't you listening to me?!_"

"I listened to the whole thing, of course!" Kei said. "It can't be THAT hard to find her, since she's around... seven years old? And you said she has red hair and everything, right?"

"We'll ask around if they found a red-haired little girl!" Miyabi said. "I saw her myself back then so- Wait a sec."

"Hm? What is it, Miyabi?" Mocha asked.

"We've met by the park the first time, and you came to your senses back then, right?" Miyabi said. "But then... Cure Cinnamon appeared around seven years ago. Even before we both met! So that means..."

"That means she's already grown up now!" Kei said. "How are we gonna find someone like that! Even if we can trust Miyabi on what she looked like years ago as a child, we're not even sure if she'd look the same as now!"

"_This is hopeless..._" Mocha said, drooping. "_She might even be at other parts of the world too, ~momo. The World Mirror can be tricky to use and all..._"

"No! We can't give up!" Miyabi said, standing up in defiance. "We can't give up now! We can find her! I know she's out there!"

"Miyabi..." Kei marveled at her best friend. Looked like she hadn't changed a bit either. "Yeah! I'm with her! I'm pretty sure she'd be around here!"

"Didn't you remember what you said, Mocha, when Kei turned into a Precure the first time?" Miyabi said. "All Precure are connected by fate! So we're bound to meet her soon enough! Or she might have been anyone I'm close with!"

"Yeah! We can close the gap on that one!" Kei said. "You gotta believe in us more, Mocha! We can both do this! We're totally invincible!"

"_You..._" Mocha was tearing up again. "_You two are so... cool... I'm so glad you became Precure, ~momo!_"

"Yeah!" Miyabi cheered and did a fistpump, and the school bell just rang. Hanging her phone up, she said, "Oops, time for that English test. Have you studied on that, Kei? But nah I'm sure you'd ace that. You've been from America after all! Ahahaha!" And with that she went inside the school building, leaving Kei sweatdropping on her wake.

"I uh..." she sighed dejectedly. "Yeah... Pretty sure I can ace that... Miyabi puts so much faith in me sometimes.."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the Anzentou, Vanilla was staring at the horizon in the comfort of the balcony, looking passive as ever. In the end, the Bittersweet gave chase to Mocha and Cinnamon, but they've disappeared. Knowing that they've landed on Earth, they made it their goal to collect as many Tainted Hearts as they could, to feed the Candy Box with negative energy and soon take over the two worlds with despair and sorrow.<p>

And yet... Vanilla's heart seemed to be wavering nowadays. But as always she tried to keep a straight face, never letting her emotions shine through.

"Soon... soon I'll get everything I want..." she muttered to herself, her hands curling into fists.

And Thyme was keeping a close eye on her, her silvery-white eyes widening at the realization that-

"She's changed..."

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 <strong> - Dream of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<br>**Miyabi: **Yui! Hey Yui!  
><strong>Yui: <strong>Stay away from me...  
><strong>Kei: <strong>Miyabi do we really have to go here...?  
><strong>Miyabi: <strong>Let's be friends, Yui!  
><strong>Yui: <strong>...Why?  
><strong>Kei: <strong>Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight - **All Alone? The Strange Literature Girl! **Miyabi I don't think she's interested at all...


	6. 6: All Alone?

"Ohhh man, that literature lecture totally sucked," Kei groaned, stashing her textbooks into her bag as the final school bell rang for the day. "And the fact that I failed that history quiz this morning didn't help my mood at all..."

"You failed that quiz?!" Miyabi exclaimed, slinging her own bag on her shoulder and staring her best friend with wide eyes. "I thought that was one of the easier ones that Ooyama-sensei made! Seriously, the Meiji era is one of the most interesting eras there is! The Sengoku one is _sooo_ overated, in my opinion."

"I didn't ask for your opinion on Japanese history, you nerd," Kei retorted. "I thought your notes would help me out but in the end it was just so confusing! Why not use one colored marker to highlight the important stuff? Seeing all those pinks and blues and yellows all over the page can be really distracting." The two girls walked out of the classroom and down the hall, passing through other students who were cleaning their respective rooms.

"Well it's more distracting if you use more than one color, Kei," Miyabi said, skipping down the stairs a little ahead of her blond friend, then twirled around to face her. "The point is that you have horrible study habits! Why not learn from Meiko for once?"

"She's always busy with her club activities! She doesn't have time to look after me!" Kei said with a head scratch.

"And yet she gets better marks than you! What's your excuse?!"

"Don't patronize me!" Kei growled at Miyabi, who returned her stern gaze back at her. They glared at each other for a moment before Kei abruptly changed the subject. "Oh yeah! Wanna help me out on a teeny favor?"

"What, you're gonna ask for my notes again?" Miyabi crossed her arms together in a huff.

"No, you idiot." Kei sighed. "Anami-sensei asked me to deliver Yui's homework this time. Said that she lives closer to my place."

"Yeah come to think of it, Yui hasn't attended class for three days already..." Miyabi puts on a pensive face before suddenly slamming her fist on her other hand, signaling that she has an idea. "I'll deliver the special Ouka Chicken Soup for her! Let's drop by my place for a sec!" She then grabbed Kei out of the gate and into the streets.

"W-Wait, Miyabi-"

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p><strong>OP 1 - <strong>Sweet Start! Precure  
><strong>Episode 6 -<strong> All Alone? The Strange Literature Girl!

* * *

><p>"Thank you for the soup, dad! We'll be back later~" Miyabi called out to her dad, who was waving from the counter of the cakeshop, before closing the door behind them.<p>

Kei just heaved out yet another sigh. She just couldn't believe her best friend sometimes. She stared at the cloth bag with a bowl of hot soup inside that the pink-haired girl was carrying and said, "This isn't necessary, Miyabi. We're just delivering some notes to her, for crying out loud!"

"Ooooh, where are we going this time, ~momo?" Mocha's beary head popped out of the cloth bag, causing Kei to gasp.

"Y-You're bringing the bear thing with us too?!" Kei dragged her hand down her face. "He might blow our cover, for all I know!"

"I don't want to be stuck in Miyabi's room anymore, ~momo!" Mocha said indignantly. "I guess you could say that it was... _unbearable_!"

Kei could only groan loudly. "That was awful. Truly awful. Miyabi, please take him back to Sugarland."

"_WAIT, NO!_"

"Don't be such a downer, Kei! Just relax!" Miyabi said as she and Kei walked towards the first intersection. "Mocha promised that he'll keep a low profile while he's here! And besides, how would YOU feel if no one brought food for you when you're sick?"

"Sick? Whoever said she was sick in the first place?" Kei asked incredulously. "I mean yeah not attending school for three days does raise some alarms but what if it's a different reason?"

"Oh yeah? Give me one." They both turned a right, heading towards the the Taiyou Apartments where Kei and Meiko were staying in.

"Uhh..." Kei racked her brains for ideas and then said, "What if she's on a mission?"

"A mission, ~momo?" Mocha raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "What is she, a ninja?"

"No no, ninjas are too old-school. I'm thinkin' about _SUPER SPIES_. Spies working for the government! Yeah!"

Miyabi and Mocha could only blink at her. She just couldn't believe her best friend sometimes. And even Mocha couldn't take this seriously "...And what's her super secret mission then?"

"Let's see... Ah, of course! She's actually on an adventure! Her mission - to go to Egypt to defeat the bad guy who made her father bedridden with an incurable illness! That's the only way to cure him!"

"Egypt? Why Egypt, of all places?!"

"What's an Egypt, ~momo? Is it edible?"

"I'unno. Egypt's a cool place from what I've heard. I wanna go there someday," Kei said with a huge grin on her face. Miyabi could only stifle the urge to return it with one of her own, but was unsuccessful hiding her smile.

"Uhh... okay then, let's go with that. Now then, do you know what street Yui lives on?" Miyabi asked.

"Anami-sensei mentioned that she lives at the very edge of Camellia Street..." Kei pursed her lips together in thought. "I didn't have the chance to explore the rest of Amatoshima so I don't know where exactly Camellia Street is."

"Camellia Street is in the quietest part of town..." Miyabi pointed out. She suddenly stopped walking and pointed her finger at a two-story building that stuck out among the rest of the houses lining the eerily silent street. "Look! See that building? It says _Fubuki Bookshop_..."

"It doesn't take a genius to know that it's Yui's place, really," Kei said with a non-committal shrug. "Yui buries her face in one of her books all the time in- Miyabi, wait up! Jeez!" She sped up to her friend, who's now running towards the entrance of the bookshop. The building looked out of place from the minimalist houses beside it, with its old-school architecture and vines intricately weaving through the shop's exterior. It looked rather lonely, too.

"Miyabi, you're gonna spill the soup if you're not careful! And looks like Mocha's gonna hurl too," the blond girl bounded up to Miyabi, who had stopped right in front of the door. Stepping forward, the pink-haired girl opened the door and a bell chimed just up the doorjamb, and the two girls let themselves in.

* * *

><p>"Anise."<p>

The witch girl bit off the curved end of the peppermint stick with a loud crunch, ignoring Thyme. The Anzentou is rather quiet, but then again it has always been like that. Thyme was staring at Anise's turned back, waiting for a response, but all they got was the sound of chomping on hard candy.

"Anise-"

"What do you want?" Anise said, not even turning around to face them. Anise never really like Thyme - they're the closest thing that Vanilla has as a friend, and she couldn't help but detest that. She SHOULD be Vanilla's friend! Why did the amazing Vanilla choose this lethargic creep to be her right-hand... Man? Woman?

"You should be collecting more Sugar Hearts by now," Thyme said, their eternally unemotional voice almost making Anise sleep right then and there. "Sorrel has already collected a lot compared to you-"

"Why should I take orders from you, anyway? You're no Vanilla-sama!" Anise said spitefully. "And I don't see _you _going out there and gather a bunch of them! I bet you're not even as powerful as the rest of us! You take naps all the time, like a baby!" She whirled around to face them, and their silvery-gray eyes bore into her. Those eyes had always creeped her out - it's as though Thyme doesn't have a soul themself.

"I thought you'll always follow Vanilla-sama's beck and call," Thyme said, still staring her down. "I'll go out when the time is right. For now, it's your duty to-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Fine, I'm going!" Anise threw a glare at the pajama-clad... boy? Girl? but was met with one of their stone-cold stares. "Sheesh, how annoying." And with that she summoned her broomstick, hopped onto it, and sped out of the tower angrily.

Thyme stared after her, yawning a big one. "Ahhh~ bedtime."

* * *

><p>The bookshop looked empty, and there's nothing except books upon books upon books on the shelves. Calming piano music blared through the speakers, and aside from that there's no other sound. The atmosphere was eerie and foreboding, and as Miyabi and Kei walked inside, they both had this strange premonition that this place is probably haunted. Miyabi clung onto Kei's shoulder as the two ventured deeper inside. The bookshop is rather roomy too; it just looked cramped from all the books that littered the carpeted floor and walls.<p>

"Welcome!" A cheery voice spooked them both; Miyabi gasped and she looked as if she's gonna leap into Kei's arms in shock. An older girl with brown hair tied up in a ponytail and kind red eyes who looked like a high-school student looked up from the counter, wearing a more traditional black-and-red school uniform that looked vaguely familiar to Miyabi. "Ah, we have a new selection of romance novels if you're interested!"

"Ooooh, romance?" Miyabi started, but then Kei coughed a bit to snap her out of it.

"No uh... we're not here to buy books, sorry," Kei said. "Does Fubuki Yui live here? We're her classmates and we're here to deliver her notes..."

"Oh! You must be Yui-chan's friends!" The brunette perked up, standing up from her seat. "Yui-chan's a bit preoccupied with rather personal matters as of the moment, but I'll get Miho-san for you!" She turned around to the sliding door behind her and bounded up the wooden steps outstairs before Kei could even stop her.

"W-Wait!" Kei let out another sigh yet again. "Personal matters, huh... See, Miyabi? Told you she's not sick!"

"You never know!" Miyabi retorted. Just then an old woman with graying hair in her seventies slowly descended from the stairs, followed by the brunette. The woman was wearing a mint green kimono with cherry blossom petals patterned onto it.

"Ah, another one of Yui's friends?" the old woman said, nodding at the two with a smile. "I'm Fubuki Miho, her grandmother, and this darling young lady beside me is my assistant, Akazawa Ryoko-chan."

The girl named Ryoko bowed down along with Miho. "You can call me Ryon for short. Welcome to the Fubuki Bookshop!"

The two girls politely returned their bows. "I'm Ouka Miyabi, and this is my friend Chinatsu Kei," Miyabi said. "Like we said earlier, we're here to deliver her notes for school. She's been absent for three days already..."

Miho looked sad for a moment, but then brushed it off. "Oh she was... preoccupied with something. Won't come out of her room at all. There's nothing to be worried about."

Miyabi and Kei exchanged looks. Nothing to worry about? "B-but...! Can we at least visit her for a sec?" Kei said.

"Yeah! We even brought chicken soup for her!" Miyabi said, lifting up the cloth bag. Luckily Mocha had crawled out of the back and was currently clinging on to Kei's back for dear life. "We thought she was sick so..."

Miho brightened up and received the bowl of soup into her hands. "My, this smells amazing! How about you two stay for dinner tonight? I'm sure Yui would be delighted."

"We'd love to, Fubuki-san!" Miyabi chirped up. "Right, Kei?" She nudged her best friend with her elbow, who just heaved a sigh. They were only here to give their missing classmate her notes, and now they've been roped in for dinner? Truly amazing. Kei is amazed by Miyabi's magnetism sometimes.

"Wonderful," Miho said, grinning from ear to ear with gratitude. "I'll go tell Yui. You and your girlfriend are welcome to join us as well, Ryoko-chan," she told the red-eyed brunette, whose cheeks immediately flushed a bright pink.

"Ehh? Ryon has a girlfriend?" Miyabi said. "What's she like? Is she pretty? Is she cool?"

"Miyabi!" Kei chastised her, to which Ryoko laughed.

"Thanks for the invite, Miho-san, but I'm actually invited at her house for dinner tonight!" Ryoko said. "It's been a while since I've been at her place, so..."

"No worries," Miho said, then turned to Miyabi and Kei. "Now then, if you two can just follow me..." She led them behind the counter - Miyabi snatching up Mocha from Kei's back and then stuffing him under her shirt - and then together they went upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Eyecatch 1: <em>**_Miyabi decorates a cake with pink icing, drawing chibified versions of her, Kei, and Mocha. Kei then sneakily grabs a tiny piece of the cake and eats it, while Miyabi sighs and smiles. Kei grins, and the Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo shows up at the bottom-right corner of the screen._

_**Eyecatch 2: **__Miyabi and Kei ogle curiously at the Candy Box as Mocha turns the knob over and over. Suddenly the Candy Box opens and out comes a myriad of Sugar Hearts, burying the two girls in them! Miyabi and Kei's heads pop up from among the hearts and laughs. The Pretty Cure Season's Delight logo then shows up at the bottom left corner of the screen._

* * *

><p>"Yui? Yui!" Miho rapped at a sliding door on the second floor of the Fubuki house. Apparently the first floor serves as the bookshop, while the second floor is where the sole two members of the Fubuki household live. "Please open up, your classmates are here!"<p>

Miyabi and Kei exchanged looks again. Was she always like this? They never really imagined Yui to be THIS reclusive - but then again she doesn't really talk to their classmates a lot, and the only reason why they're connected to her is because they keep on dragging her to their shenanigans.

Miho turned to the girls and bowed apologetically. "I am so sorry. Yui doesn't like strangers, and her classmates seem to ignore her a lot." She didn't seem to notice Miyabi's now-bloated stomach, apparently.

Miyabi stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Yui? Yui, you there? It's me, Miyabi! And Kei's here too! We brought chicken soup!"

Silence, and then they heard a shuffling sound from inside the room before the door slid open and Yui, with her frazzled green hair, gray pajamas, and puffy eyes, peeked her head out. "...Ouka-san?"

Miyabi nodded. "Yep, it's us! Your friends, remember?" She positioned herself just behind Kei so that Yui wouldn't see her shirt.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Yui!" Kei said with a grin. "Remember the wasabi omurice? I should make one for you again sometime!"

"Please don't," Miyabi replied with a sickened look on her face, remember the impromptu cooking battle.

Yui stared at the two for a long moment and pursed her lips together in thought, somewhat considering it before uttering, "...Please go away," and slid the door shut.

The two girls blinked at what just happened. "Ehhh?! But it's true! We're her friends!" Miyabi said.

Miho heaved a sigh, as if she's expected this to happen. "I'm so sorry, girls. She's not a people person, and she's currently mourning."

"Mourning? Who died?" Kei asked.

"She's... she has a hard time growing up," Miho said sadly. "Her father died when she was young, and her mother left her with me and she never returned. Today's her dad's death anniversary actually."

Kei and Miyabi were taken slightly aback at the really sad news, feeling as if they've been hit by a ton of bricks. "...Oh," Kei said. Looking back on her joke this afternoon was very harsh in hindsight, now that she thought about it. And Miyabi probably realized it too, as she was looking at her with so much guilt.

"Yui didn't just lose her father on this day," Miho went on, "but I lost my only son too. But in the end we all have to move on." She forced a smile on her wrinkly face. "And I'm pretty sure that he doesn't like seeing his daughter like this."

The atmosphere was suddenly heavy. Kei and Miyabi felt really uncomfortable - it felt like the sudden change of mood is suffocating them. Kei in particular looked more glum that Miyabi, even.

"I should prepare dinner too," Miho said, snapping them out of ot. "If you two can get Yui to come out of her room in time, it would be greatly appreciated." And with that, she shuffled away to the next room.

The two girls were utterly speechless, then Kei broke the silence. "...Told you this is a waste of time."

"Kei -" But before Miyabi could say anything else, Kei marched right up to Yui's bedroom door and began pounding her fist on it. "Yui! Yui, open up! You need to open up!"

"Stop that, Kei!" Miyabi yelled, reaching out and tried to pull Kei away but Kei's much too sturdy and strong for her. "That's not gonna help her come out! Don't you realize that?!"

"Well fine! If you're not gonna open up then I will!" Kei stopped banging on the door and slumped down on the wooden floor, her hair obscuring her eyes. "My... My mom died while giving birth to me and Meiko. And I never really knew what it's like, having a mother and all that."

"Kei..." Miyabi bit her lip. It's not like Kei hated talking about her mother, it's just that the topic was never brought up. And since they're here...

"My dad loved her so much to the point that he never went out with anyone after that," Kei went on. "And then as we grew up, Meiko sorta became my mom 'cause she's always fussing over me. And back then, Miyabi's family is kinda like my second family too. Even though I call Miyabi names and whatnot, she's like a sister to me."

Miyabi started to tear up, and wipes them away with the back of her hand. Mocha's bear head popped out from her shirt and was also getting emotional as well.

"The point is, Yui," Kei said, "Losing someone who's very important to you can be awful. Trust me, I know that feeling. But just remember that you're not alone. You are never alone in this, Yui! You have us, your friends! I... I can be your dad, if you want!"

"Can I be the mom, then?" Miyabi quipped, raising her hand.

"Oh, oh! Can I be the adorable pet fairy, ~momo?" Mocha said, also raising his paw.

"Shush! You'll blow our cover!"

"Sorry, ~momo!"

Kei rolled her eyes. And just then the door slid open, and a tear-stricken Yui finally faced the two girls. "...Dad?"

"Well uh..." Kei scratched the back of her head comically, "obviously Miyabi and I can't get married as of the moment, seeing as I'm not interested and Miyabi might be a really annoying wife in the future-"

"Hey!"

"-But the point is, we consider you as a friend, Yui. And you're always part of our ever-expanding family!" And with that, Kei reached over and gave the green-haired girl a hug. Miyabi also came over to them and enveloped both of them in an even bigger hug, with Mocha hanging on to her back and somewhat joining in their hugfest too.

"I... thank you, both of you," Yui whispered, finally smiling and hugging the two girls back.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the food~"<p>

The two girls, together with the Fubuki family, clapped their hands together in thanks before digging into their meals. Tonight's dinner consists of corn-and-crab croquettes, beef with potatoes and carrots, and Miyabi's chicken soup.

"These croquettes are so _good_!" Miyabi said, munching thoughtfully on a piece. "I'd like to know how you make these, Miho-san! These are even better than what dad makes, to be honest!"

"I'll be sure to give you a recipe before you go home, dear," Miho beamed, sipping on some soup. "This soup is also nicely-made! It's obvious that your parents know what they're doing."

"Ohhh man, these are heavenly!" While Miyabi and Miho chatter away about recipes, Kei kept on stuffing her cheeks with beef and potatoes as if she hadn't eaten for days. All these drama and hugfests made her really famished. "Can I just... can I just live here forever..."

There's a tiny tinge of pink in Yui's cheeks, but she brushed it away as she chewed on a carrot and set her chopsticks down. "I'm done."

Miho nodded, and then stood up to pick up the plates. "Why don't you take Miyabi and Kei to..."

Yui understood the message, widening her eyes at the realization and slowly nodded. Getting up, she ran to the counter and took a small tray, and then placing small portions of croquette, rice, beef and potatoes, and a bowl of soup on it. Turning to Miyabi and Kei, she said, "Come, follow me."

The two girls exchanged a glance before getting up as well and followed Yui down the stairs and out the back door into the backyard. There's Miho's little vegetable garden, a koi pond, and-

"Oh..." Miyabi stared, staring at a small tombstone just by the pond, with the name "Fubuki Shou" engraved on it. Yui quietly approached the tombstone, knelt down, and gently placed the tray of food in front of it.

Kei and Miyabi could only stay quiet. That's all they can do for now. The three girls relished in the comfortable silence, save for some cicadas making little screeching noises on the trees.

"Grandma said that my dad used to travel a lot," Yui said. "He visited a lot of places and he always brought home a snowglobe. Every single time. He even managed to get a snowglobe with the Giza pyramids in them, even though we know that Egypt doesn't experience winter."

Kei bit her lip again, remembering the joke that she made. Can't the world give it a rest, already?

"I want to go there someday," Yui said, standing up and dusting off her pajamas. "Not just Egypt, but all the other countries in the world. I still have ways to go before I can even go to the next town over but-" -She whirled around to face them with the hugest smile she's ever mustered- "-I know that it'd be possible with you guys."

Miyabi sniffled, overcome with emotion. "YUIIIIIII!" She ran over to Yui and gave her yet another hug. "Don't worry Yui, I'll give you a coupon for a free parfait from Heart-shaped Hearts! I promise!"

"Good grief..." Kei shook her head and smirked. _Guess it wasn't a waste to go here after all..._

All of a sudden the wind blew, and it was a bit stronger than the average night breeze. There was a 'whoosh!' sound, and then -

"Oh gee, what do we have here?"

The girls turned to the direction of a familiar voice and Anise had appeared on a tree-branch, looking down at them. "Why are you guys getting so emotional over some rock? Must be some bizarre human tradition."

"You-" Kei started.

"But eh, I'm not here to make small talk with you two losers," Anise said, yawning with boredom. "Someone was nagging me to get some Sugar Hearts, so here I am! And I see that girl over there has a rather unique one!" She pointed her wand at Yui, who looked utterly bewildered.

"Don't you even think of doing that!" Miyabi said, stepping defensively in front of Yui.

"Oh, so you're bossing me around too? I've had ENOUGH of that!" Anise stamped her foot impatiently on the branch. "My Kigiki shall take care of you three, and trying to fight it off will be useless, useless, _useless!_" And so she threw a Tainted Heart on the tombstone and aimed her wand at it, summoning a skeleton Kigiki with the sparkling black heart-shaped gem glowing steadily inside the ribs.

Yui was horrified, gaping at the animated skeleton of her father. "My... that's my da-" she blubbered before crumpling onto the ground unconscious.

"Yui!" Miyabi and Kei rushed to her aid, and then glared up at the witch girl who's gloating it up. "Summoning monsters out of the blue is one thing..." Kei began.

"...But making one out of a skeleton of someone's dead loved one?! That's absolutely unforgivable!" Miyabi shouted.

Anise just rolled her eyes. "Oh quit overreacting, the guy's dead anyway. And I say let this war begin~" she said in her signature singsong voice.

"Fine! If it's a war you want, it's a war you'll get!" The girls grabbed their phones and swiped their fingers onto it. "_Pretty Cure Sweet Shining!_"

"_The sweet taste of spring, Cure Taffy!_"  
>"<em>The mellow taste of summer, Cure Butterscotch!<em>"

"_Together, we are Precure_!" The pink and gold Cures announced, finishing it off with a pose. Cure Butterscotch first leaped forward at the skeleton and delivered a swift kick to the shin, but the Kigiki spun around and was about to pull off a roundhouse kick of his own at the gold Cure, but Butterscotch deftly took ahold of his leg. "Now, Taffy!" she called out.

Taffy jumped up to the air, yelling out, "_Precure Taffy Kick!_" and sped down at the skeleton with her leg out and ready to strike, but the Kigiki's head did a 180, seeing Taffy's sneak attack, and then caught her leg with his own legs. He then spun his body around, tossing the Cures away.

"Ughh... wow, who knew Yui's dad knew those kinds of moves..." Kei groaned, her head popping out of the bush in which she landed on.

"It's just the Kigiki doing the whole thing! What a showoff," Miyabi said, frowning.

"Ahahaha~" Anise chortled, holding her stomach as she guffawed on her place in the tree. "This is one fine specimen of a Kigiki! I should make tons of skeleton Kigikis from now on! That'll show that showoff Sorrel!"

"Ooooh, a horde of skeletons. How spooky," Butterscotch deadpanned. "Taffy! We can't give up!"

"I'm way ahead of you! Cover me!" Taffy came out of the bush and dashed towards the Kigiki, readying her hands for a point-blank Taffy Swirl. "_Pcure Taffy Swirl-_" But the Kigiki jumped up just in time, avoiding the barrage of pink and purple. "_Gikikikikiiii!_" he laughed, but before he could laugh even more-

"-_CURE BUTTER PUNCH!_" This time it was Butterscotch in the air, her fist ready to give the Kigiki a huge one, but the skeleton saw this one coming and decided to break himself apart into bones in midair. "Huh?!" Butterscotch's punch missed, and the Kigiki reassembled himself above the yellow Cure and proceeded to give her a nice hard kick back to the ground, making her crash on top of Taffy. "OW!" they both yelled.

"This is amazing! I can't believe you guys are getting your butts kicked so easily!" Anise giggled. "It's incredible what the dead can do. I'm such a genius!"

"It's still... rude of you... to do this..." Taffy staggered onto her feet, shaking as she helped Butterscotch up too. "Don't you have a heart o-or... something? How would YOU feel if one of your dead loved ones came back to life like this?"

"Aww that's cute, implying that I do have loved ones," Anise grinned devilishly. "Don't worry, this guy won't be alone in his grave soon enough, because you two will be joining him tonight! Kigiki, finish them off now!"

"_Kiiiiiii!_" The Kigiki growled, and then took his own skull into his own hands and lobbed it at the Cures full speed ahead.

The Cures closed their eyes, seemingly giving up, and then Butterscotch simply grabbed it into her hands as if it was a ball pass in basketball. "Welp, wrong move there."

"Butterscotch - no, Kei - is really good with sports, don't you know that?" Taffy said smugly. She then watched Butterscotch roll the skull back at the Kigiki again as if she was bowling, and the Kigiki scattered into a hundred pieces. "_Kiiiiii!_"

Anise pulled on her large twintails in distress. "No! Kigiki, put yourself together!" she shouted. But before the Kigiki could become whole fast enough-

"Let's finish this quick!" Taffy yelled.

"I'm on it! _Pretty Cure Butter Storm!_" Butterscotch snapped her fingers, and a myriad of bubbles swooshed right in and covered the pile of bones with suds until the whole thing was entrapped in a huge yellow bubble. The Kigiki screamed one more time before it disintegrated into silvery dust, turning back into Shou Fubuki's tombstone. The orange Sugar Heart dropped onto the ground with a soft thump.

"I was so close! So so so CLOSE!" Anise stomped her feet onto the branch so hard that it was a miracle that the tree didn't break apart. "This isn't over! It's never over!" And of course she sped away onto her broomstick in sheer anger.

Taffy sighed, turning back into her normal self again. Butterscotch did the same, and now she's running over to Yui, who's just waking up. "Yui! Are you all right?"

Yui's eyes fluttered open and her cheeks flushed red upon seeing Kei's face so close to hers. "I-I'm.. fine," she said. "What... just happened? Did my dad-"

"Your dad is fine, Yui," Miyabi said, looking back at the tombstone with the plates of food laid out in front of it. "And I'm sure he'd want you to be fine as well," she added with a wistful smile.

* * *

><p>"It's fine, really! You don't have to show us your room if you're not ready!" Miyabi told Yui later that night.<p>

"Yeah and it's getting late anyway!" Kei said. "I have to go study for history tomorrow too!"

"You never study," Miyabi said as an afterthought.

"Yeah well maybe I am in the mood for it right now!" Kei retorted.

"Guys, relax," Yui said quietly, cutting in between the two. "It's just that I never had people whom I can call friends my whole life and... this is the least I can do." They finally stopped in front of the sliding door. "Okay but um... Please don't laugh o-or anything, it's my first time I've let people other than my grandma in here..."

"I told you its no problem at..." But at once the door to Yui's bedroom slid open, Kei's voice trailed onto the unknown.

Because Yui's room is full of magical-girl paraphernalia.

Posters of various Sunday-morning magical girl shows plastered all over the walls, a display of newly-polished and purchased figurines in the far corner of the room, and a blanket starring the number-one magical-girl show of the moment, _Majo Shoujo Yukako-chan_, covering her futon.

Miyabi and Kei simply froze at the doorstep as Yui dashed in and showed them a body pillow of the famous kids' show _Dokidoki Raburabu _at them. "Not to brag but... this is my extensive collection of magical-girl stuff... And I heard from the Internet that a pair of true-to-life magical girls has been sighted in Amatoshima too!"

The two girls just nodded animatedly at their new friend, a dark pit of dread starting to form in the bottom of their stomachs.

"Uh... Miyabi?" Kei whispered to Miyabi, not taking her eyes at Yui leaping over to her laptop and showing them a online shopping site for more collectibles.

"I know, Kei," Miyabi said with a gulp. "I know."

* * *

><p>"...And then these girls - they keep on fighting every day, day in and day out, but they seem to be great friends in the end! I can never ask for anyone else who can help me in this dire situation of mine!"<p>

"Oh, do tell me more! And can you pass me that plate over there? Thank you."

"My pleasure, ~momo!" Mocha passed a large plate over to Miho, who carefully washed the suds off. "Your granddaughter Miho seems to be opening up to them, ~momo! I have a feeling that she'll join them in their adventures too!"

"I'm so glad," Miho said with a wrinkly smile. "Yui has always been a shy girl, so I'm glad that there are people like Miyabi-chan and Kei-chan who can bring her out of her shell. And who knows, she might become a photo-booth, just like those two!"

"You know it!" Mocha grinned, ignoring the fact that this old lady mispronounced the term yet again. Is it really that hard to say P-R-E-C-U-R-E nowadays?

* * *

><p><strong>ED 1 - <strong>Dream Of You

* * *

><p>On the next episode!<p>

**Miyabi**: It's the upcoming costume festival! I am so ready! Eh? Rumi, what are you...  
><strong>Rumi<strong>: I look cute in this, right? I wanna grow up just like Cure Taffy!  
><strong>Kei: <strong>Miyabi, is Rumi dressed up as you?  
><strong>Yui: <strong>That looks so cute... and somewhat familiar...  
><strong>Miyabi: <strong>Next time on Pretty Cure Season's Delight! -** Rumi's Special Wish! ****I Want To Be A Precure! **I'm in huge trouble...


End file.
